Sapphire Girls Book Club Archives,<\/h1>\n

2014 – 2023<\/h1>\n

2014<\/h1>\n

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January<\/strong><\/h1>\n

Monthly Choice<\/strong>: \u00a0The Signature of All Things,<\/em> Elizabeth Gilbert<\/p>\n

We must\u00a0dive into this book! \u00a0This is Elizabeth Gilbert’s new work, a novel.\u00a0She had us at hello with Eat, Pray, Love,<\/em> didn\u2019t she? – what was<\/strong> it about that book?\u00a0 Was it that we wanted to be on that adventure of food, spirituality and love without the heartbreak that precipitated it? Or was it that we\u2019d shared that kind of heartbreak and wished we\u2019d handled it the way the author did?<\/p>\n

From the back dustcover of The Signature of All Things<\/em>, about the main character Alma, \u201cfrom the moment the girl learned to speak, she could not put an argument to rest.\u00a0 She wanted to understand the world, and she made a habit of chasing down information to its last hiding place, as though the fate of nations were at stake in every instance.\u201d\u00a0 Sounds like a Sapphire Girl to me!<\/p>\n

Bonus Book (Category: Classic\/Re-Read\/Learn From)<\/strong>: \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 <\/p>\n

Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance<\/em>, An Inquiry into Values, <\/em>Robert M. Pirsig.<\/p>\n

A 1974 classic that many have read and savored but our younger sisters may not be familiar with. Enjoy the varied layers of learning here, of relationships (father\/son), travel, the search for quality, value and meaning.\u00a0 “We take a handful of sand from the endless landscape of awareness around us and call that handful of sand the world” – one of dozens of timeless quotes from the book. I’m on my fifth re-read.<\/p>\n

February<\/strong><\/h1>\n

Monthly Choice:\u00a0 <\/strong>The Encyclopedia of Early Earth<\/em>, Isabel Greenberg.<\/p>\n

Unusual choice in its “comic book” format but the combo of a story line of “soul mates, that can’t touch” and very good reviews for color and style made it a compelling possibility.\u00a0 Let’s see how we feel about this strange, fun pick. The second month of 2014 seems a good time to try something completely different!<\/p>\n

Bonus Book (Category – Not Well Known)<\/strong>: The Art of Hearing Heartbeats,<\/em> Jan-Philipp Sendker.<\/p>\n

A moving love story set in Burma, the words flow with raw tenderness.\u00a0 Published in 2002, it was translated from the original German in 2006 – but I just heard of it late last year.\u00a0 Read it when you have time to savor the words and the feelings they evoke.\u00a0 Can you take the time to hear the heartbeats around you?<\/p>\n

\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 March<\/strong><\/h1>\n

Monthly Choice:\u00a0 <\/strong>a Hundred Pieces of Me<\/em>, Lucy Dillon.<\/p>\n

I don’t know this writer and hope she brings the goods.\u00a0 The concept is the reason for the choice for this month.\u00a0 If you had to pick just 100 things from your present life as you begin a new one – what would they be and why? **may not be available just yet… more to come.<\/p>\n

Bonus Book (Category – Not Well Known)<\/strong>: Sky Burial<\/em>, Xinran.<\/p>\n

Once read, this story of one woman’s odyssey to find answers about her lost love will never be forgotten.\u00a0 Tibet’s vast spaces and mystical, mysterious landscape will envelope you.<\/ins>\u00a0<\/ins> This epic journey is profoundly moving. Published in 2004, it was translated from the Chinese in 2005.\u00a0 Have you read or heard about this story?\u00a0 I think you will love it.<\/p>\n

April<\/strong><\/h1>\n

Monthly Choice:\u00a0\u00a0<\/strong> A Garden of Marvels:\u00a0 How We Discovered That Flowers Have Sex, Leaves Eat Air and Other Secrets of Plants,<\/em> Ruth Kassinger.<\/p>\n

A little history of botany, some modern research, an informal and eclectic musing, and a lot of learning about the life and beauty of plants.\u00a0 Just released in March this seems a perfect read for our new Spring!<\/p>\n

Bonus Book (Category – Books to Learn From)<\/strong>: Animal Dialogues<\/em>, Craig Childs.<\/p>\n

Chapter by chapter the author brings you into intimacy with the wild ones.\u00a0 He knows them well. The subtitle is “uncommon encounters in the wild” and if you didn’t love them before you can’t help but love them after reading Child’s beautiful evocative words.\u00a0 From bears, mountain lions and jaguars to bald eagles and ravens to squid (and many more) after this read you’ll feel like you’ve talked to the animals.<\/p>\n

May<\/strong><\/h1>\n

Monthly Choice:\u00a0\u00a0<\/strong> In Paradise:\u00a0 A Novel,<\/span><\/em> Peter Matthiessen.<\/p>\n

One hundred women and men gather for a week of retreat for the purpose of honor and witness of human suffering.\u00a0 The location is a former concentration camp and the evolution of emotions and tensions as the week progresses creates the storyline.\u00a0 Matthiessen has written epic and respected manuscripts including two of my favorites, The Snow Leopard <\/em>and In The Spirit of Crazy Horse<\/em>.\u00a0 I love his research and writing. Released April, 2014.<\/p>\n

Bonus Book (Category – Books to Learn From)<\/strong>: Moonwalking with<\/em> Einstein<\/em>, Joshua Foer.<\/p>\n

I would expend major energy into improving my memory if I knew it would work.\u00a0 This book proves that it is possible and also that the learning can be a fun and interesting enterprise.\u00a0 Build your palaces to place your remembering and enjoy the ramble through contests, techniques, and unique real life characters.\u00a0 The author, in the course of his research, used the techniques and became a finalist in the world memory championship (within one year!).<\/p>\n

June<\/strong><\/h1>\n

June <\/strong>Monthly Choice:\u00a0\u00a0<\/strong> behind the beautiful forevers,<\/em> Katherine Boo.<\/p>\n

This book has won many prestigious awards including The National Book Award, The PEN\/John Kenneth Galbraith Award, The Los\u00a0 Angeles Times Book Prize and The American Academy of Arts and Letters Award.\u00a0 The author has also won a Pulitzer Prize, and is a staff writer for The New Yorker.\u00a0 We have to notice and absorb some grand prize winners along the reading journey right?\u00a0 After just a few pages I can see what all the fuss is about…\u00a0 raw humanity and distribution of riches, just two of the deep facets explored and written about so beautifully here.\u00a0 This review really says it all, “There are books that change the way you feel and see;\u00a0 this is one of them.” (Adrian Nicole Leblanc).\u00a0 Published in 2012, the paperback edition has just been released.<\/p>\n

Bonus Book (Classic)<\/strong>: Their Eyes Were Watching God, <\/em>Nora Neale Hurston .<\/p>\n

Now that June is here and summer, let’s reread a classic or two… One of my all time favorites, this is a quick read that is profoundly moving.\u00a0 I don’t see it on many “must read” lists, but it’s definitely on mine.<\/p>\n

July<\/strong><\/h1>\n

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Monthly Choice:\u00a0<\/strong>Still Life with Breadcrumbs<\/em>,<\/span> Anna Quildlan.<\/p>\n

A 60 year old photographer moves to a cabin in the woods… well, hello!, for me this is a must read! Published in January, 2014, haven’t seen a lot of pub on this book, let’s see if we think we should start some!<\/p>\n

Bonus Book (Something to Learn From)<\/strong>: Q & A, The Buddha…off the record<\/em>, Joan Duncan Oliver.<\/p>\n

More summer reading fun.\u00a0 This is a question and answer session with the Buddha – a fictionalized Buddha and an interviewer cover thirteen themes including suffering and morality.\u00a0 Can be read in short spurts, taken up and put back down to absorb. (Foreward by Annie Lennox). Published in 2010.<\/p>\n

August
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Monthly Choice:\u00a0 <\/strong>Tipping Sacred Cows,<\/em>\u00a0 Betsy Chasse.\u00a0 <\/p>\n

The author is the award-winning producer of What the Bleep Do We Know!?, so I’m compelled by her perspective and question asking.\u00a0 Her fearlessness.\u00a0 After exploring the questions in What the Bleep Do We Know, Chasse realized she didn’t have as many answers as she once had such confidence in.\u00a0 Seeking to delve deeper into those arenas that she wasn’t aware she had held “sacred” and unquestioned, she started tipping sacred cows one by one.\u00a0 Are we ready to bravely create new stories? Published, January, 2014.<\/p>\n

Bonus Book (Something to Learn From\/Reread)<\/strong>: The Art of Doing Nothing<\/em>, Veronique Vienne with photographs by Erica Lennard.<\/p>\n

With chapters like “the art of bathing” and the “the art of breathing”, this little book from 1998 has been by my bed, by my bath, in the reading nook, for many years.\u00a0 I pick it up often.\u00a0 Just today I read, “some of the best thinking we do happens when the conscious mind is on a sabbatical.”\u00a0 Think I’ll check out “recipe for a gourmet nap” this month for sure! “Exploring ways to make time for yourself” seems a most perfect theme for long August days.<\/p>\n

September<\/strong><\/h1>\n

Monthly Choice:\u00a0 <\/strong>Life By the Cup,<\/em>\u00a0 Zhena Muzyka.<\/p>\n

Seeking to provide a nurturing life for she and her son, a young single Mother creates a business selling tea.\u00a0 She evolves with the enterprise to a deep compassion for the tea growers and the next steps are the “ingredients for a purpose filled life of bottomless happiness and limitless success” (the subtitle of the book).\u00a0 Gloria Steinem writes “your hopes are a form of planning” on the back cover, along with Barnet Bain’s quote “the satisfactions of a handcrafted life come steeped in service to others”.\u00a0 Both quotes compelled this choice, along with the learning I hope to gain along the reading journey. Published, June 2014.<\/p>\n

Bonus Book (Something to Learn From\/Reread)<\/strong>: The Age of Missing Information,\u00a0<\/em> Bill McKibben. <\/p>\n

Recommended by a friend, this book from 1992 completely missed my radar, but I’m glad to have discovered it now.\u00a0 The premise?\u00a0 With the endless information available to us now in an instant, are we more knowledgeable than when we spent more time absorbed in learning a craft and existing more closely in nature?\u00a0 The author sought to answer this question by comparing two 24 hour periods.\u00a0 In one, he watched every single minute of the offerings during a 24 hour period of all the stations available (93 channels!).\u00a0 Then, he spent 24 hours alone in nature. As the Houston Chronicle wrote in their review, “Do yourself a favor: Put down the remote and pick up this book,”\u00a0 to experience what he found.\u00a0 Media is everywhere and constant – it is a wonderful counterpoint to consider what may be missing from our wisdom base from this absorption. For a book that is twenty-two years old (it has been updated to include the impact of the internet), it remains remarkably relevant, maybe even more relevant to our current times.<\/p>\n

October
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Monthly Choice: <\/strong>Euphoria ,<\/em>\u00a0 Lily King.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Winner of the New England Book Award, another new book published this year, Euphoria tells the tale of 1930’s New Guinea and three anthropologists studying there.\u00a0 The entanglements, immersion in a culture so different from one’s own, the questions of perspective and truth are all compelling components of this book.\u00a0 It is a work of fiction but breathes the life of Margaret Meade. So looking forward to getting immersed myself!<\/p>\n

Bonus Book (Something to Learn From)<\/strong>: Good Book<\/em>, David Plotz.<\/p>\n

What if you grew up holding a book as sacred and the basis of your faith and way in the world, but you’d never actually read it (parts of it of course, but every single word?).\u00a0 Yeah, me too.\u00a0 The author is Jewish and like most Christians and Jews knew many of the well told and honored Biblical stories.\u00a0 After reading Genesis 34, he wanted to know more about the whole of the stories contained in the Bible, and read every single word.\u00a0 This book is about his journey as a non-scholar, non-theologian, without expectation or preordained thought, lay person, reading and evaluating from his perspective.\u00a0 I’m looking forward to experiencing his perspective and expanding my own.\u00a0 Published in 2009.<\/p>\n

November<\/strong><\/h1>\n

Monthly Choice:\u00a0 <\/strong>The Storied Life of\u00a0 A. J. Fikry,<\/span>\u00a0<\/em> Gabrielle Zevin.<\/p>\n

Bookstore on an island accessible by ferry.\u00a0 Yes, had me at hello! Much like the 60ish photographer in the cabin in the woods, this is a must read!\u00a0 A recent widower’s life (bookstore owner) expands exponentially in ways he could never have expected.\u00a0 But still the simple life and the love of books is the main theme in this story. I love the chapter intros using book reviews and the writing immediately puts you there on this island and in this bookstore.\u00a0 The characters are so very real and flawed….<\/p>\n

Bonus Book (Something to Learn From\/Not Well Known)<\/strong>:<\/p>\n

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The Big Burn, Teddy Roosevelt and the Fire That Saved America,
\n<\/span><\/em>Timothy Egan.<\/p>\n

The story of how a huge fire in the western Rockies fueled the conservation of national forests for perpetuity.\u00a0 Teddy Roosevelt and Gifford Pinchot are main characters in their key roles as champions of preservation.\u00a0 Ranchers and big company interests, much like today, fight hard with large parcels of money and political intrigue to keep all land ownership private.\u00a0 This book is so well written that it’s a pleasure to read while deepening appreciation for Roosevelt and Pinchot’s tireless efforts to ensure places like Glacier National Park, Yosemite National Park and Yellowstone National Park are here for our enjoyment as well as for our children’s children.\u00a0 A friend sent this book to me recently knowing how much I’d like it and I highly recommend it.\u00a0 Published in 2009, reprint edition in 2014.<\/p>\n

December<\/strong><\/h1>\n

Bonus Book (Something to Learn From\/Not Well Known)<\/strong>:<\/strong><\/p>\n

<\/span>A Sudden Light,<\/em>\u00a0 Garth Stein.<\/p>\n

The Art of Racing in the Rain’s<\/em> author has a new book released on September 30th.\u00a0 The reviews promise “unforgettable moments of emotional truth”.\u00a0 Bring it!\u00a0 I loved The Art of Racing in the<\/em> Rain<\/em>, with its evocative moments and look forward to Stein’s new offering.\u00a0 He gives us his impression of what it is to be human.
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Bonus Book (Not Well Known)<\/strong>:<\/p>\n

The Mockingbird Next Door<\/em>, Life with Harper Lee,<\/em> Marja Mills\u00a0 <\/p>\n

Ever wonder what happened to one of your favorite book authors, Harper Lee?\u00a0 I sure did.\u00a0\u00a0 She penned the tremendous and well loved To Kill A Mockingbird<\/em>, <\/em>then seemed to disappear – no more novels, no interviews, no sightings.\u00a0 In 2004 though, she allowed Chicago Tribune<\/em> writer, Marja Mills, to move in next door to she and her sister and for eighteen months she formed a friendship with the two and was allowed to write about them.\u00a0\u00a0 We will learn why Nelle Harper Lee never wrote another novel….This book was published in 2014.<\/p>\n

2015<\/h1>\n

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January
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Monthly Choice:\u00a0<\/strong>Wild: From Lost to Found on the Pacific Crest Trail<\/em>, <\/em>Cheryl Strayed .<\/p>\n

To find ourselves is the greatest journey.\u00a0 The movie featuring Reese Witherspoon is getting rave reviews and the book exploring the deepening of a young woman as she delves into the adventure of hiking the Pacific Crest Trail, while at the same time discovering truths about herself, seems a great read to start the New Year.\u00a0 Here’s to all of the discoveries in our inner and outer worlds this year.\u00a0 Let’s get this party started!<\/p>\n

Bonus Book (Something to Learn From)<\/strong>:\u00a0 The Witness Wore Red<\/em>, Rebecca Musser.<\/p>\n

\u00a0As we continue the theme of finding yourself, this book screams to be heard.\u00a0 As one of the wives of the Mormon prophet, Rulon Jeffs, the author knew no other life than that of repression, subservience and acquiescence to the men around her.\u00a0 At age 18 she was Jeffs’ 19th wife.\u00a0 He went on to add more that 40 more (he was in his mid 80’s at the time).\u00a0 A tale from our ancient past?\u00a0 No, this story is a contemporary one taking place in just the last few years.\u00a0 The fringe cult of Mormons degenerated into the marriage of girls as young as fourteen, where consummations took place in the temple – with witnesses.\u00a0 Musser got out and found a hard won life outside everything she had ever known.\u00a0 Then this brave woman helped bring the men involved in the rape of young women to justice. It’s hard reading, and harder still to accept that these behaviors are going on in the United States in present time.\u00a0 This book was recommended by my Mom, Joyce Eileen Smith Walkup.<\/p>\n

Both of the January selections were published in 2013.<\/p>\n

February
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Monthly Choice:\u00a0 <\/strong>The Nightengale,<\/em> Kristin Hannah<\/p>\n

As we did in 2014, the book club will explore a host of brand new books\u00a0<\/em>as the monthly choice,\u00a0 novels, biographies, and stories of all kinds chosen in 2015.\u00a0 The second monthly choices will continue to be from the broad categories of things to learn from, classics, great re-reads and not well know books.\u00a0 February’s choice just came out Feb. 5th.\u00a0 The story is of women, war, and perseverance.\u00a0\u00a0 We’re all about the women and their experiences so far this year!\u00a0 This is the quote that got me, “In love we find out who we want to be.\u00a0 In war we find out who we are.”\u00a0 Set in France in 1939, we’ll get our Franco-file fix, and embrace the power and strength of women.<\/p>\n

Bonus Book (Classic)<\/strong>: Winter (notes from<\/em> Montana)<\/em>, Rick Bass<\/p>\n

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Rick Bass has written a library of eloquent stories from the wild through the years.\u00a0 I love his writing. Winter<\/em> was written in 1991 when Bass was fresh out of college.\u00a0 Wanting an adventure in a remote place where his girlfriend, Elizabeth, could do her art, and he could write, the couple found a cabin in the Yaak Valley in northwest Montana.\u00a0 This book is the prose poetry of his winter there.\u00a0 With drawings by Elizabeth, it is a perfect read while snuggled up in nook with a roaring fire.\u00a0 If you don’t love winter already as I do, this may help you find its beauty.<\/p>\n

March
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Monthly Choice:\u00a0\u00a0<\/strong>It’s What I Do, A Photographer’s Life of Love and War,
\n<\/em>Lynsey Addario<\/p>\n

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Those that know me well will appreciate that I don’t pick a war book of any kind lightly.\u00a0 The ISIS horrors are certainly weighing into this choice, and of course the life of the photographer gripes my emotions too.\u00a0 In the final analysis, the fact that the title says, Life of Love<\/strong><\/em> & War, with Love prevailing, made the choice a comfortable one.\u00a0 Knowing everyone isn’t a photography junkie like I am, I’m still hoping we all learn something of importance from the experience of this book in images and words, guiding us always toward love.\u00a0 Just released in Feb., 2015.<\/p>\n

Bonus Book (Something to Learn From)<\/strong>: The Hidden Life of Wolves,
\n<\/em>Jim and Jamie Dutcher<\/p>\n

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In northwest Montana we have wolves – some are nearby – a Whitefish pack.\u00a0 They can be polarizing.\u00a0 In actuality there are few interactions with people and seldom ones with livestock.\u00a0 Because our ecosystem is relatively healthy and diverse, there is room for predators, people and livestock here.\u00a0 This incredible study in photos and writing, allows us an intimate portrait of the wolf;\u00a0 their family structure, loyalty, hierarchy, intelligence, hunting skills, individual personalities, and even drawings of individuals pack members are all here.\u00a0 Husband and wife team, Jim and Jamie Dutcher, explore the Sawtooth Pack’s intricacies, dispelling myths and deepening understanding.\u00a0 Yes, another photography book – with something to learn from.<\/p>\n

April
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Monthly Choice:\u00a0 <\/strong>The Animals,
\n<\/em>Christian Kiefer<\/p>\n

Newly released in late March, 2015, The Animals, <\/em>compelled me by the promise of good writing and the story of an animal sanctuary where bears and wolves are part of the story.\u00a0 It gets more complicated – there’s a haunting past.\u00a0\u00a0 Hoping the story deepens and moves us.\u00a0 Debut by the author.<\/p>\n

Bonus Book (Not Well Known):\u00a0 <\/strong>S., <\/em>J.J. Abrams <\/p>\n

Stumbled across this book while looking on line for an intriguing bonus book for April.\u00a0 It’s from 2013 and the concept is intriguing as fellow readers come together through liner notes.\u00a0 And the reviews!\u00a0\u00a0 “The best-looking book I’ve ever seen. . . . The book is so perfectly realized that it’s easy to fall under its spell. . . . If you want to write a romantic mystery meta-novel in which two bibliophiles investigate the conspiracy around an enigmatic Eastern European author, you couldn’t choose a better team.” –Joshua Rothan, New Yorker\u00a0 <\/i>“Impressively smart, engaging . . . Filled with secrets and stories that are endlessly beguiling and inviting . . . Reading S., and trying to decode everything [was] an incredibly enjoyable, fun experience, as well as a particularly immersive one. . . . For all its mysteries and intrigues, this is a book about the value of books, and what they can offer us that other storytelling mediums cannot.” —Wired\u00a0 <\/i>“S. <\/i>is gorgeous, a masterpiece of verisimilitude. . . . The book’s spiritual cousin is A.S. Byatt’s Possession<\/i>. . . . The brilliance of S.<\/i> is less in its showy exterior than the intimate and ingeniously visual way it shows how others’ words become pathways to our lives and relationships.” —Washington Post.
\n<\/i>Certainly more allocates than are normally posted on our book page, but they were all so darn good and intriguing I had to include them all.\u00a0 What a find!<\/p>\n

May
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Monthly Choice:\u00a0\u00a0<\/em><\/strong>A Curious Mind, The Secret to a Bigger Life, <\/em>Brian Grazer<\/p>\n

Hollywood producer Grazer has created an impressive list of movies:\u00a0 A Beautiful Mind, Splash, Apollo 13, Friday Night Lights.\u00a0 His curious mind has been the foundation to his success as a producer and as a student of life.\u00a0 His list of interviewees to feed his curiosity is equally impressive: Princess Diana, Sam Walton, Michael Jackson, Edward Teller, Andy Warhol, Daryl Gates and Barack Obama (there are hundreds more).\u00a0 Grazer believes that the ability to stay curious about our world and the people in it are fundamental to staying involved and happy in our lives.\u00a0 He is tenacious in his pursuit of an interview, never taking no for an answer and is rewarded with a tremendous amount of learning in this pursuit.\u00a0 The book is a very easy read, not especially well written, but the story of the immense variety of people he has interacted with and learned from is worth the read. This book was published in April, 2015.<\/p>\n

Bonus Book (Classic)<\/strong>: Bless Me, Ultima, <\/em>Rudolfo Anaya <\/p>\n

Time for a classic.\u00a0 One of the lovely things about The Sapphire Girls Book Club is going through my library to search out a book that has made a lingering and deep impression.\u00a0 Bless Me, Ultima <\/em>most definitely fits that category.\u00a0 So looking forward to a renewed reading of the story of a young boy and the curandera, the healer, that teaches and guides him.\u00a0 Published in 1994.<\/p>\n

June
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Monthly Choice:\u00a0<\/strong>\u00a0The Sympathizer,\u00a0<\/em>Viet Thanh Nguyen<\/p>\n

Another debut novel!\u00a0 This debut author thing could have been a theme this year with all these critically reviewed debuts by young authors.\u00a0 It wasn’t a theme, but just so exciting to see all of these new voices.\u00a0 This is a Vietnamese look at the war that received a good review from the Vietnam Veterans of America. and this review from the LA Times: “part literary historical fiction, part espionage thriller and part satire.\u00a0 With just this information I feel sure we’ll learn a lot, gain perspective, and be entertained along the journey.\u00a0 A good combination.\u00a0 Published April, 2015.<\/p>\n

Bonus Book (Missed from Last Year)<\/strong>:\u00a0 Everything I Never Told You<\/em>, Celeste Ng<\/p>\n

I kept picking up this book in bookstores, and seeing it online… but not until this early summer did it get the read it deserved.\u00a0 There is such depth of revelation in this first time author’s story.\u00a0 Who do we really know?\u00a0 Are the small pieces that close family are privileged to witness in intimate and daily interactions any semblance of who that family member really is?\u00a0 In this case, Lydia is known in different pieces and parts by her younger sister, older brother, parents and one friend.\u00a0 No one knew all of her, but they loved the pieces that they knew.\u00a0 This book was a NY Times bestseller, a New York Times Editor’s Choice, the winner of the Alex Award, and the winner of the APALA Award for fiction. Now I know why. I can’t wait to read more from this author. Published, 2014, republished Penguin Press, May, 2015.\u00a0 Another debut!<\/p>\n

July
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Monthly Choice:\u00a0 <\/strong>Go Set a Watchman, <\/em>Harper Lee <\/p>\n

Despite the controversy, it’s impossible not<\/em><\/strong> to read a “new” novel by Harper Lee.\u00a0 Locked in a vault and recently “discovered”, this book was written prior to To Kill a Mockingbird,\u00a0<\/em>but rejected by Lee’s publisher.\u00a0 The two main characters are familiar, Scout and Atticus, and they are comfortably back in Maycomb, Alabama, but twenty years after the story line in To Kill a Mockingbird.<\/em>\u00a0 Have things changed or stayed the same? Small town politics, racism, family, and acceptable behavior play major roles in this story, but ultimately it’s about the coming of age of the young adult, Scout. I don’t know that Harper Lee wanted this book published, and that’s a hard truth to absorb, but once that choice was made, I did have to read it.\u00a0 Will you? Published July, 2015.<\/p>\n

Bonus Book (Classic)<\/strong>: To Kill a Mockingbird,<\/em> Harper Lee <\/p>\n

One of my all time favorite classic books.\u00a0 The characters jump off the page, the small southern town comes to life, the realities of living in the rural south is illuminated.\u00a0 This is excellent writing that is never forgotten.\u00a0 Winner of the Pulitzer Prize for Literature, the aftermath of which sent its author into semi-seclusion.\u00a0 She vowed to never write another book, which makes the publication of the recently “found”, Go Set a Watchman<\/em> very suspect.\u00a0 This we know, Harper Lee is a force of a writer that all readers would have loved to have heard more from.<\/p>\n

August
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Monthly Choice:\u00a0<\/strong> The Book of Speculation<\/em>, Erika Swyler
\n<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

A summer read encompassing a wide range of fascinations – mermaids, carnivals, the ocean, books, and tarot cards.\u00a0 This is a debut novel, so not familiar with the author, but the book’s compelling components made it a natural choice.\u00a0\u00a0 There are illustrations by the author as well adding to the overall immersion possible in the story.\u00a0 Let summer reading continue! Published June, 2015<\/p>\n

Bonus Book (Not Well Known)<\/strong>: Wildwood:\u00a0 The Wildwood Chronicles, Book 1<\/em>, Colin Meloy<\/p>\n

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Sultry long days allow for leisurely pleasure reading, thus this August choice as bonus book!\u00a0 Although written for young adults, all ages will come to love Prue and Curtis as the humans and the host of animal characters who share the story and the wild woods.\u00a0 There are mystics and owl princes, and tall trees and ivy intertwined in the intrigue.\u00a0 It’s a super fun beach or camping read.\u00a0 Wildwood<\/em> is the first book of a trilogy, so if you’re smitten you can continue to delve into the wildness.\u00a0 The illustrations by Carson Ellis are wonderful.\u00a0 Published in 2012,\u00a0Wildwood<\/em> was a New York Times best seller, but I missed it, so categorizing it as “not well known”, even if it was only me that didn’t know it!<\/p>\n

September
\n<\/strong><\/h1>\n

Monthly Choice:\u00a0 <\/strong>One Spirit Medicine, Ancient Ways to Ultimate Wellness,<\/em> Alberto Villoldo, PhD<\/p>\n

September seems like a good time to reset, to review, to plan, to learn new things, and to take stock of health. This book contains a wealth of information on resetting the body to heal itself.\u00a0 From gut to brain health, and all the interconnections between them, the exploration is deep and detailed. The journey leads the reader to a vision quest as one of the ultimate goals to wellness, but along the way the author shares very specific foods, supplements, and processes to undertake to shed the old and the ill and replace it with a re-birthed body and soul.\u00a0 It gets technical, but it’s worth it.\u00a0 Published April 2015.<\/p>\n

Bonus Book (Something to Learn From)<\/strong>: The Island of Knowledge, The Limits of Science and the Search for Meaning, <\/em>Marcelo Gleiser<\/p>\n

Marcelo Gleiser, the author, is a physicist.\u00a0 The theory explored in the book is despite our sophisticated instruments and testing, there is more that is unknown that known in our universe.\u00a0 Gleiser explores the limits to our understanding, and illuminates our lack of real answers to the most basic questions of our existence.\u00a0 There is still much mystery here in our universe.\u00a0 This physicist author is not afraid to call it what it is – unknowable.\u00a0 This book was published in 2014.<\/p>\n

October
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Monthly Choice:\u00a0 <\/strong>Purity, <\/em>Jonathan Frazen<\/p>\n

This book is “Poly-Fi” – I’ve missed that term – meaning political fiction (where have I been?) Intriguing set of circumstances set the stage for the fictional tale of Pip (Purity), who loaded with student debt and strange new circumstances, sets out to find a father she knows little about.\u00a0 The reviews got me here, “an elegant writer, capable of magnificent prose”,\u00a0 the book promises to be clever, intelligent, humorous and full of satire.\u00a0 Frazen is the author of The Corrections<\/em> and Freedom.\u00a0 <\/em>This newest offering was published September, 2015.<\/p>\n

Bonus Book (Not Well Known\/Classic)<\/strong>: Beyond the Bedroom Wall, <\/em> Larry Woiwode<\/p>\n

I read about this book for the first time as one that a publisher considers one of the best in his library.\u00a0 Now I’ve lost who that publisher was, but the extraordinary reviews of this book that I found later compelled this choice.\u00a0\u00a0 Things like “why teach The Great Gatsby<\/em> as required reading for high school literature when Beyond the Bedroom Wall<\/em> is available.” The author writes in every genre: poetry, novels, biography, reviews, essays, short stories, and commentary – that fact in itself is praise worthy to me. Woiwode has been the poet laureate of North Dakota since 1976 and this novel was first published in 1976.<\/p>\n

November
\n<\/strong><\/h1>\n

<\/p>\n

Monthly Choice:\u00a0 <\/strong>The Invention of Nature, <\/em>Andrea Wulf.<\/p>\n

The story of Alexander von Humboldt’s adventures and scientific endeavors newly published in September.\u00a0 Again the reviews got my attention and definitely left me anxious to delve into these adventures and scientific adventures.\u00a0 Sounds like I should know of Humboldt but I don’t.\u00a0 Looking forward to learning a lot and enjoying the journey.<\/p>\n

Bonus Book (Something to Learn From)<\/strong>: healing spaces, The Science of Place and Well-Being, <\/em>Esther M. Sternberg, M.D. <\/p>\n

Science meets sense of place, with the possibility of understanding just why nature, land, earth, sky are so vital to the health of humans.\u00a0 New brain science allows researchers to see the brain’s response to seeing a nature view – and that response is like a shot of endorphin’s – literally.\u00a0 No wonder we crave immersion in natural environments so deeply.<\/p>\n

December<\/strong><\/h1>\n

Monthly Choice:\u00a0 <\/strong>The Diver’s Clothes Lie Empty,<\/em> Vendela Vida<\/p>\n

A new book by Vendela Vida published 2015, whose title, as words from Rumi, got my attention right away.\u00a0 It is a mystery, and an exploration of loss of identity in a foreign place.\u00a0 Who would you allow yourself to become?\u00a0 Vida is a new author for me.\u00a0 She has four other books that I am now interested in exploring.\u00a0 I like her easy style, humor, questions that she explores, and the way this book quickly became a page turner.\u00a0 Will definitely read more.<\/p>\n

The Diver’s Clothes Lying Empty by Rumi<\/p>\n

You\u2019re sitting here with us, but you\u2019re also out walking
\nin a field at dawn. You are yourself
\nthe animal we hunt when you come with us on the hunt.
\nYou\u2019re in your body like a plant is solid in the ground,
\nyet you\u2019re wind. You\u2019re the diver\u2019s clothes
\nlying empty on the beach. You\u2019re the fish.<\/p>\n

In the ocean are many bright strands
\nand many dark strands like veins that are seen
\nwhen a wing is lifted up.
\nYour hidden self is blood in those, those veins
\nthat are lute strings that make ocean music,
\nnot the sad edge of the surf, but the sound of no shore.<\/p>\n

Bonus Book (Something to Learn From)<\/strong>: Talking on the Water, Conversations About Nature and Creativity,<\/em> Jonathan White<\/p>\n

This book was purchased on Orcas Island and is even signed by the author – I’ve had it in my library for a long time.\u00a0 It was in a recent rereading though, as I was doing research for a college class, that the wisdom in its pages really resonated.\u00a0 The compilation of nature’s wisdom keepers was full of freshness even though this work was published in 1994.\u00a0 Featuring writers and researchers such as Matthew Fox, Gary Snyder, James Hillman, Ursula Le Guin, Peter Matthissen and Gretel Ehrlich, the book is a series of talks between Jonathan White and each of these luminaries as they chatted on a boat in the Pacific Northwest and Alaska.\u00a0 The boat is the Crusader, and was designed for just this purpose, for learning, for sharing, for expanding nature knowledge.\u00a0 It worked!<\/p>\n

2016<\/h1>\n

<\/p>\n

January
\n<\/strong><\/h1>\n

Monthly Choice: <\/strong>Are We Smart Enough to Know How Smart Animals Are?<\/em>, <\/em>Frans De Waal <\/p>\n

To start the year, we are reading about compassion and understanding.\u00a0 In this new book published 2016, the author explores the different forms that cognition takes, illuminating the various brilliance of many species. The prologue begins with this quote from Charles Darwin, “The difference in mind between man and the higher animals, great as it is, certainly is one of degree and not of kind.” The stories that follow create a deepening understanding of these varying degrees, and promotes respect for these creatures that we share the planet with.<\/p>\n

Bonus Book (Something to Learn From)<\/strong>:\u00a0 Tattoos on the Heart<\/em>, The Power of Boundless Compassion<\/em>, Gregory Boyle<\/p>\n

Father Boyle teaches by example, and exemplifies rare and absolute compassion and love.\u00a0 His work with gang members in Los Angeles, and his founding of Homeboy Industries to employ them, exhibits over and over again how every life matters, deserves to shine, and how it is always necessary and possible to give second (and third and fourth!) chances.\u00a0 Gregory Boyle is a humorous saint with raw and real stories to tell.\u00a0 I fell in love with many of these gang members, and there were lessons here I’ll never forget. This book was a gift to me (thanks Elle!), and I am grateful.<\/p>\n

February
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Monthly Choice:\u00a0 <\/strong>Mothering Sunday,\u00a0<\/em>Graham Swift<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

We haven’t included nearly enough romance in our selections, so here’s one for February, the month of Love, the month of celebrating Valentine’s Day.\u00a0 The author has 30 books to his credit, but this month’s choice, published 2016, is the first for me.\u00a0\u00a0 Tender and evocative, the scenes are word paintings that place you in the midst of selected moments in time.\u00a0 Characters are flawed and layered and you get to know them intimately and quickly.\u00a0 Swift’s novel, Last Orders<\/em>, won the Booker prize, and Waterland, <\/em>was awarded the Guardian Fiction Award and I’m thinking one of these two will be my next book by this author.\u00a0 Definitely want more….<\/p>\n

Bonus Book (Something to Learn From)<\/strong>: Angels by the River<\/em>, James Gustave Speth <\/p>\n

This is a memoir of Gus Speth’s lifetime of work as a conservationist and environmentalist.\u00a0 We have the opportunity to see how his passionately held beliefs evolved over time, from his deeply embedded southerness, to his cultured education, to becoming the Dean of the Yale School of Forestry and Environmental Studies, to founding the World Resources Institute.\u00a0\u00a0 His present life in Vermont, and this writing, that chapter by chapter builds an impressive resume of accomplishments, displays a lifetime spent learning and helping change environmental policy and thinking. Well worth the read. Published 2014.<\/p>\n

March
\n<\/strong><\/h1>\n

Monthly Choice:\u00a0 <\/strong>The Wander Society, <\/em> Keri Smith<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

A book on a “society” encompassing everything that I love. Wandering (“with complete openness to the unknown”), mysteries, nature and her gifts, books, signs, reading, walking. … with the manifesto “Solvitur Ambulando,” meaning, “it is solved by walking”.\u00a0 If this calls you, there is a Facebook page, and if you share your address you’ll get a packet of wanderers information.\u00a0 I felt like a kid when I opened mine! The Wanderers are<\/em> everywhere and there are posts from around the world.\u00a0 A grand new involvement and fun immersion all prompted by this little book.\u00a0 Published 2016.<\/p>\n

Bonus Book (Classic)<\/strong>: Leaves of Grass<\/em>,
\n<\/em>Walt Whitman<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

Walt Whitman is the visionary writer that the Wander Society (explored in our March book pick above), follows with awe.\u00a0 His classic work, Leaves of Grass, <\/em>published in 1855, was controversial, and these compelling words continue to deeply effect his followers 161 years later., “Your very flesh shall be a great poem”; “you must habit yourself to the dazzle of the light and of every moment of your life.”\u00a0 Ah yes, Walt Whitman!<\/p>\n

April
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\u00a0 Monthly Choice:\u00a0<\/strong>The Code of the Extraordinary Mind,\u00a0<\/em>Vishen Lakhiani<\/p>\n

Once or twice a year, we’ll include a self improvement book of sorts, and this is one of 2016’s offerings. “What if you gave yourself permission to question everything you know and threw out all the pieces that hold you back?” the book’s jacket asks, and I do want to throw out all the pieces that hold me back! There are new words to explore, an online experience, a social learning platform, and interviews with successful code breakers like Richard Branson and Elon Musk. I too think it’s possible for ordinary people to choose to be extraordinary (paraphrasing Musk).\u00a0 Cheers to getting into this “re-coding” process, and breaking some “brules”.<\/p>\n

Bonus Book (Something to Learn From):\u00a0 <\/strong>Elephant Company, <\/em>Vicki Constantine Croke <\/p>\n

Burma, colonization, war, elephants and the elephant whisperer, James Howard Williams are the rich components of this true story.\u00a0 The story is of the life of the adventurer Williams, living out of the norms of his English upbringing, and his commitment, understanding, and passion for the elephants. He came to know these mystical creatures intimately as he worked for a logging company in Burma, and then as part of the war effort, and his relationship with them makes for an interesting and informative read.\u00a0 The physical and cognitive abilities of these very special animals are amazing and lovely to contemplate, and their individual personalities shine through the pages on this book. Published 2014, paperback, 2015.<\/p>\n

May
\n<\/strong><\/h1>\n

Monthly Choice:\u00a0\u00a0<\/em><\/strong>Meet Me in Atlantis,
\n<\/em> Mark Adams<\/p>\n

Atlantis! I’ve always been intrigued by the story of this illusive sunken place, and the possibilities that are inherent in the stories of the people and civilization of this mystical island. Travel writer, Mark Adams, knew he’d have an audience, and when I bought the book at my local bookseller, the owner said she’s sold a lot of this title.\u00a0 Looking forward to the adventure! Published 2016.<\/p>\n

Bonus Book (You May Have Missed)<\/strong>: The Prisoner of Heaven, <\/em>Carlos Ruiz Zafon<\/p>\n

Ruiz Zafon’s characters and writing are true favorites of mine, and somehow I missed that this third installment book had been published in 2012.\u00a0 I found it as a staff pick in a bookseller’s shop in Mill Valley, Ca – another favorite, that bookshop.\u00a0 Having read Shadow of the Wind<\/em> or The Angel’s Game <\/em>is not necessary to fully appreciate The Prisoner of Heaven<\/em>, as each of the three books are complete within themselves, but I’d highly recommend all three! I tested this theory out on my husband who has been lost to Shadow of the Wind<\/em> for two days now.\u00a0 This is writing that will immerse you completely, with characters that are so real you’ll feel like they must have to exist.\u00a0 I truly do desperately want the Cemetery of Forgotten Books to really exist…<\/p>\n

June
\n<\/strong><\/h1>\n

Monthly Choice:\u00a0<\/strong>the Soul of an Octopus,
\n<\/em>Sy Montgomery<\/p>\n

This is a story of touching the “other,” a being so alien that all sorts of questions are raised about the kind of interaction the handlers are having, and why it is so moving to those who are having them.\u00a0 I learned so much about this surprising and intelligent creature.\u00a0 Their problem solving, creativity, and yes, even soul, was inspiring, and getting to know the unique personalities of the individual octopuses profiled were lovely to contemplate.\u00a0 The compassionate animal lovers who care for the octopuses are lovely to get to know too.\u00a0 Soul to soul they witness deep encounters with a being so different from themselves that it brings a new depth to their understanding of their being in the world and of their very consciousness.<\/p>\n

Bonus Book (Not Well Known)<\/strong>: Oryx and Crake, <\/em>Margaret Atwood<\/p>\n

This book may be well know by Margaret Atwood fans.\u00a0 I’ve always wanted to read more from her after the never forgotten story, indelibly imprinted, of The Handmaid’s Tale<\/em>.\u00a0 Atwood’s writing is humorous and frightening as she explores futuristic species and life on our planet that is terrifying in how easy it is to imagine; a planet and quality of life that we’re destined for if many paths aren’t changed?\u00a0 Definitely going to put more Atwood reading in my life. Her writing is unique, well constructed, imaginative, entertaining, captivating and frightening. This book was published in 2004.<\/p>\n

July
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Monthly Choice:\u00a0\u00a0<\/strong>The Ancient Minstrel,
\n<\/em> Jim Harrison<\/p>\n

Jim Harrison died just recently.\u00a0 He was a beloved Montanan, a prolific writer, an eccentric, an explorer, a foodie, and all around fascinating man.\u00a0 I had read some of his poetry but no short stories or novels, which just isn’t quite right, especially in light of the existence of books like Legends of the Fall\u00a0<\/em>and Dalva<\/em> in his repertoire.\u00a0 In keeping with our book of the month choices that are fairly recent publications, this book was just published in 2016, just prior to his death. I so look forward to a few quality days with Jim Harrison’s characters and story telling. I read that he died with a pen in his hand… still writing.<\/p>\n

Bonus Book (Classic)<\/strong>:\u00a0Dalva,
\n<\/em>Jim Harrison<\/p>\n

Many eloquent writers wrote in memory of Jim Harrison in the most recent addition of our local Whitefish Review. <\/em>Dalva<\/em> was listed by one of the writers as being one of his favorite books of all time.\u00a0 After reading the first few chapters I’m so immersed in the story and characters, I can see why.\u00a0 Real and immediate, this is writing that I can lose myself in.\u00a0 More Harrison on the horizon for sure. (There is also a new book of short stories coming out later in 2016, Dead Man’s Float.)<\/em><\/p>\n

August
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Monthly Choice:\u00a0<\/strong> the view from the cheap seats, selected nonfiction,<\/em> Neil Gaiman
\n<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

Another staff pick from my local bookseller (Bookworks, Whitefish, Montana), this book’s cover holds this recommendation, “Full of devotion and erudition, this is also a glorious love letter to reading, to writing, to dreaming, to an entire genre.” (Junot Diaz). This is another writer that I do not know, but is a New York Times<\/em> best selling author for his fiction.\u00a0 This book though, is a collection of more than sixty articles, speeches, essays and introductions that according to the book jacket “offers a unique glimpse into the mind of one of the most beloved and influential writers of our time.”\u00a0 Published 2016. Looking forward to this collection!<\/p>\n

Bonus Book (Not Well Known)<\/strong>: Plenty-Coups, Chief of the Crows, new edition,<\/em> Frank B. Linderman<\/p>\n

With the neighbors of the Crow, the Dakota Sioux, in a stand off in North Dakota over pipe line access which threatens the mighty Missouri’s water, a full immersion in the wisdom and eloquence of a elder of our first nations people seemed in order.\u00a0 In considering which of the many wisdom filled elders to study, I opened this book, published in 1930, and turned randomly to this passage (page 124): “By the time I was forty, I could see that our country was changing fast,and that these changes were causing us to live very differently. Anybody could now see that soon there would be no buffalo on the plains, and everybody was wondering how we could live after they were gone. There were few war-parties and almost no raids against our enemies, so that we were beginning to grow careless of our minds and bodies. White men with their spotted buffalo (cows) were on the plains with us. Their homes were near the water-holes, and their villages on the rivers. We made up our minds to be friendly with them, in spite of all of the changes they were bringing. But we found this difficult, because the white men too often promised to do one thing and then, when they acted at all, did another. They spoke very loudly when they said their laws were made for everybody; but we soon learned that although they expected us to keep them, they thought nothing of breaking them themselves. They told us not to drink whiskey, yet they made it themselves and traded it to us for furs and robes until both were nearly gone. Their Wise Ones said we might have their religion, but when we tried to understand it we found that there were too many kinds of religion among white men for us to understand, and that scarcely any two white men agreed which was the right one to learn. This bothered us a great deal until we saw that the white man did not take his religion any more seriously than he did his laws, and that he kept both of them just behind him, like Helpers, to use when they might do him good in his dealings with strangers. These were not our ways. We kept the laws we made and lived our religion.” Yes, this is a good book to add to the collection and to read right now. I stand in support of the Standing Rock Sioux Nation.<\/p>\n

September
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Monthly Choice:\u00a0\u00a0<\/strong>Life Reimagined,
\n<\/em> Collette Baron-Reid<\/p>\n

Our second book of the year that could be considered in the “self-help” genre (and two seem enough this year!).\u00a0 This book is intriguing in that the author is the creator of an energy psychology process called “IN-Vizion” that purports to unveil your authentic self.\u00a0 Once you are in tune you can listen deeply and redirect your life from that authentic self place.\u00a0 And as the subtitle suggests the book explores the “science, art and opportunity of midlife”.\u00a0 Well, Yes! Looking forward to the exploration.\u00a0 Published September, 2016, a perfect time as we move into Autumn more deeply, and have more time for introspection.<\/p>\n

Bonus Book (Classic)<\/strong>: Night,\u00a0 <\/em>Elie Wiesel<\/p>\n

We lost Elie Wiesel this year at age 87, after a life that touched us all.\u00a0 He taught us that to be human transcends the horrors that can be perpetrated by one group of people on another.\u00a0 Wiesel won the Nobel Peace Prize and produced what the New York Times said of this book, “A slim volume of terrifying power.”\u00a0 This Holocaust survivor has also produced dozens of works of fiction and non-fiction as well, and was awarded many honors in his lifetime in addition to the Nobel Peace Prize, including the Presidential Medal of Freedom, the United States of America Congressional Gold Medal, and the French Legion of Honor.\u00a0 If you haven’t read Night<\/em>, you must.\u00a0 This was Wiesel’s first book, his most important, and he writes that if he were to have written only one book, it would have been this one. In remembrance and honor…\u00a0 Original copyright 1958, this new edition has an updated forward by the author from 2006.<\/p>\n

October
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Monthly Choice:\u00a0\u00a0<\/strong>Upstream,\u00a0<\/em>Mary Oliver<\/p>\n

There are few poets that I know well or understand well, but Mary Oliver is a writer\/poet that is both well known to me and whose words are absorbed regularly.\u00a0 This book is not of poems for which she is more well known, but of essays, and is due to be published this month.\u00a0 I’m hungry for its contents.\u00a0\u00a0 Oliver is able to “lose herself within the beauty and mysteries of both the natural world and the world of literature” according to the Amazon snippet on the order page.\u00a0\u00a0 I’m already in love…<\/p>\n

Bonus Book (Something to Learn From)<\/strong>: Empire of the Summer Moon, <\/em>S. C. Gwynne<\/p>\n

A finalist for the Pulitzer Prize and New York Times bestseller, this well researched tale of the settling of the American interior, and the consequent encroachment by settlers into indigenous tribes territories, is raw, intelligent, sometimes shocking, and always informative.\u00a0 The book is full of information about the powerful Comanche tribes and how they commanded control of the plains for centuries with their superb and unmatched horsemanship and daring.\u00a0\u00a0 The shocking parts are in the brutal violence perpetrated by both sides in the conflict.\u00a0 It is also the story of a particular Comanche leader, Quanah Parker, a half breed of the Quahadi branch of the Comanche, who was instrumental as Texas moves into statehood and the United States continues it’s expansion.\u00a0 Great history on the Texas Rangers too!\u00a0 So this is our history book for the year and it’s a good one. Published 2010, this was a staff pick at my local bookseller.<\/p>\n

November
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Monthly Choice:\u00a0 <\/strong>Small Great Things
\n<\/em> Jodi Picoult<\/p>\n

November brings, finally, our Presidential election…\u00a0 This monthly selection explores many of the themes that are simmering in our country, sometimes boiling over creating divisiveness.\u00a0\u00a0 Racism at it’s worst, and too, all of the subtle yet explosive ways race and religion effects the lives of African-Americans, Hispanics, Muslims, Jews and European-Americans.\u00a0 The story is told from the perspective of a black nurse wrongly indicted, a white supremacist, and a white court appointed attorney.\u00a0 There are some hard truths here and a good time to read and consider them. Published 2016.<\/p>\n

Bonus Book (Something to Learn From)<\/strong>: THUG Kitchen, eat like you give a f&*#, <\/em> <\/p>\n

Why not? – a cookbook choice for the month of Thanksgiving?\u00a0 Well here we have a non-traditional choice in every sense!\u00a0 Extraordinarily irreverent, full of coarse curse words, it is also full of excellent, good for you recipes in all categories: \u00a0breakfast, salads, mini meals, soups and stews, entrees, sweets and snacks.\u00a0 This book got me inspired to start making my own dressings and salsas, guacamole, and fudge pops!\u00a0 Here’s to a Happy, Healthy-eating Thanksgiving with mountains of gratitude to all!! Published 2014. *If you have any<\/em> aversion to curse words this book is NOT recommended.<\/p>\n

December<\/strong><\/h1>\n

Monthly Choice:\u00a0\u00a0<\/strong>Atlas Obscura, an Explorer’s Guide to the World’s Hidden Wonders,
\n<\/em> Joshua Foer, Dylan Thuras, Ella Morton<\/p>\n

Ah… December, time for fires in the hearth, the first accumulating snow, and<\/em> reading big books!\u00a0 Loving this choice as our inside time outweighs our outdoor time, and we can spend sweet hours armchair exploring the world! And adding to our bucket lists!\u00a0 This book promises lots of intriguing photos, mystery, and not well known spots to explore both here in the book and in person possibly later. Where would you like to explore next?\u00a0 Published, September 2016.<\/p>\n

Bonus Book (Something to Learn From)<\/strong>: A Field Guide to Getting Lost, <\/em>Rebecca Solnit<\/p>\n

Because to be lost is to find yourself, the lostness allowing your truest deepest self to be seen and known. I loved this book’s exploration of lost and found, metaphorically and physically.\u00a0 Its chapters are full of quotes that take you on the journey of deepening, like this one, “How will you go about finding that thing the nature of which is totally unknown to you?” (Meno).\u00a0 The author has some substantial quotes of her own, “to be lost is to be fully present, and to be fully present is to be capable of being in uncertainty and mystery.”\u00a0 This book truly is a field guide and I enjoyed the exploration. Published 2005.<\/p>\n

2017<\/h1>\n

<\/p>\n

January<\/strong><\/h1>\n

Monthly Choice<\/strong>:\u00a0 Transit, <\/em>Rachel Cusk<\/p>\n

Intriguing reviews brought Transit to January’s monthly choice. “In this second book of a precise, short, yet epic cycle, Cusk describes the most elemental experiences, the liminal qualities of life. She captures with unsettling restraint and honesty the longing to both inhabit and flee one’s life, and the wrenching ambivalence animating our desire to feel real” (Book Browse Review), and\u00a0 “With the sparest prose, Cusk has again created an expertly crafted portrait in this distinctive novel about the fear and hope that accompany change, and one woman’s quest to conquer them. A masterful second installment to a promising trilogy” (Booklist).\u00a0 The author’s first installment,\u00a0Outline<\/em>,\u00a0 was on the New York Times Book Review’s ten best books of 2015.\u00a0 New writer to me and looking forward to the journey! Published 2017 (release Jan. 17). (I will definitely go back and read Outline<\/em> too!)<\/p>\n

Bonus Book (Category: Missed From Last Year)<\/strong>:<\/p>\n

The Vegetarian<\/em>, <\/em>Han Kang <\/p>\n

The 2016 winner of the Man Booker International prize, this novel about present day South Korea is, “an ingenious, upsetting, and unforgettable novel” (Publishers Weekly). I missed it last year and am anxious to learn from and absorb it this year.<\/p>\n

February
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Monthly Choice<\/strong>: The Book Thieves, <\/em>Anders Rydell<\/p>\n

When the Nazi’s looted homes of European citizens, they didn’t burn all of the books that they pillaged.\u00a0 Many were taken from their owners and placed in libraries in Germany.\u00a0 Much like the tale of the Monument Men who worked tirelessly to return art treasures to their rightful owners after the war, this is the story of one book’s journey to its owner’s family.\u00a0 Many of these books still remain in the public library system in Germany. “For those who lost relatives in the Holocaust, these books are often the only remaining possession of their relatives they have ever held. And as Rydell travels to return the volume he was given, he shows just how much a single book can mean to those who own it” (Book Browse Summary). Published February 2017 (release Feb. 7th).<\/p>\n

Bonus Book (Category: Missed from 2015)<\/strong>: \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n

The Little Paris Bookshop<\/em>, <\/em>Nina George<\/p>\n

A deep Montana winter is enveloped around me, and just reading the words, “Paris” and “bookshop” had me at hello (and at the grocery store no less!) Just happened by the book section, and picked it up (can’t remember the last time I bought a book at the grocery!!!) This book turned out to be a New York Times bestseller that I missed, but that Oprah held in high esteem: “If you’re looking to be charmed right out of your own life for a few hours, sit down with this wise and winsome novel.”\u00a0\u00a0 The main character, the bookseller, is a complicated pent up man, who dispenses “prescriptions” for life from his bookstore on a barge in the Seine.\u00a0 The “Literary Apothecary” is the bookstore that I so wished was real!\u00a0 An easy, fun and surprisingly deep read about books, relationships and life.\u00a0 Love Monsieur Perdu’s (the bookseller) categories of book buyers, and his endless, wonderful, astute quotes as he gives out his book prescriptions. Published 2013, translated 2015.<\/p>\n

March
\n<\/strong><\/h1>\n

Monthly Choice<\/strong>: Foreign Soil, <\/em>Maxine Beneba Clarke<\/p>\n

A collection that gives voice to the disenfranchised, and expresses “the global experience with exquisite sensitivity” (Dave Eggers), these stories from the West Indies, Australia, Africa, London are sure to make us see the world’s inhabitants more clearly, more deeply and with more compassion. Just published, 2017.<\/p>\n

Bonus Book (Category: Missed from 2007\/Something to Learn From)<\/strong>: God Grew Tired of Us<\/em>, <\/em>John Bul Dau <\/p>\n

The author, John Dau is a lost boy of Sudan.\u00a0 Surviving horrific conditions at the age of 13, including war, loss of family, famine, starvation, terror, crocodiles and lions, he has become a Syracuse University student, an American, a husband and a father.\u00a0 It is a story that needs to be told, of immigration where there is no home to return to, no family, no history, no community, no country.\u00a0 The middle of the night attack was from the north where the Khartoum Muslim government sought to eradicate the Christian south and the resistance there to sharia government and terror. \u00a0It continues today.\u00a0 Remarkably the author has established two foundations, one to assist other lost boys in America with education, and the second to provide medical care for the Dinka tribes in south Sudan who had virtually nothing in the form of care prior to his building of a medical clinic there.\u00a0 John celebrates America and his life and privileges here while maintaining his Dinka culture and ties to southern Sudan.\u00a0 The book was published in 2007, and since then, Dau\u2019s home country is still suffering from war leaving much unchanged. Much has<\/strong><\/em> changed in our country in regards to immigration with this new presidency; Sudan is one of the banned countries in Trump\u2019s travel ban.\u00a0 Today John Dau would not be allowed into the United States.<\/p>\n

April<\/strong><\/h1>\n

Monthly Choice<\/strong>:\u00a0 The One-in-a-Millon Boy, <\/em>Monica Wood<\/p>\n

One of the reviews that I read on this newly published in April book (release date is April 8th), expressed that one of the characters, at 104 years old, is in the throes of learning new things.\u00a0 Loved that way of living of course! The young man who helps her out at home is 11 years old, and their relationship moves the story line.\u00a0 This compelled me, and the reviews were all excellent.\u00a0 Never read this author, but she’s an award winner so here’s to hoping we’ll be entranced!<\/p>\n

Bonus Book (Category: Something to Learn From)<\/strong>: March, Book One, <\/em> John Lewis, John Aydin and Nate Powell <\/p>\n

This is a beautifully drawn graphic novel about John Lewis’ life as a civil rights activist.\u00a0 It tells his story from that of a young boy who began his life on a sharecropper farm, through the lunch counter sit ins in Nashville that began his life long career in politics, through his continuing work for equal rights.\u00a0 It is also the story of peaceful protest – the way of love and nonviolence taught and promoted by Mahatma Gandhi and Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.\u00a0 This is the first book of a trilogy, all highly recommended.\u00a0 Although it’s written for young adults, all ages can gain a deeper understanding of the long and painful path to freedom that these brave men and women undertook.\u00a0 We cannot forget this story and that the journey continues.\u00a0 Please have your children read it!<\/p>\n

May<\/strong><\/h1>\n

Monthly Choice<\/strong>:\u00a0The Songs of Trees,\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 <\/em>David George Haskill<\/p>\n

Published April, 2017, this new book on the connections between trees, other species, and humans is a song to nature.\u00a0 In the interview I read, the author included recorded tree songs evoking a moving and profound peace.\u00a0 I have a deep love for the tall trees here at home in northwest Montana, and want to know them better, to understand their individual songs.\u00a0 I know this book will help us all deepen our respect and love for the trees around us.\u00a0 Haskill’s prose is like poetry…<\/p>\n

Bonus Book (Category: Missed from 2004)<\/strong>: Gilead<\/em>, <\/em>Marilynne Robinson<\/p>\n

A profoundly beautiful and meditative book, Gilead, <\/em>came to me via a book exchange and I’m so glad it did!\u00a0 I was unfamiliar with the author, but now her story and her characters will be forever with me.\u00a0 Reviews say to read this book slowly, and it seems that is the only possible way to read it – the words automatically slow you down.\u00a0 It is a love story to existence itself, a testament to that rare gift, and also to friends, sons, companions, and to all those small treasures and moments that make up a well lived life.\u00a0 Many deep, timeless questions are explored. Thank you Bernie for picking out this book for me; it is now a favorite! Published in 2004, it is the winner of the Pulitzer Prize.<\/p>\n

June<\/strong><\/h1>\n

Monthly Choice<\/strong>: The Ministry of Utmost Happiness, <\/em>Arundhati Roy<\/p>\n

The author of The God of Small Things
\n<\/i>has a new offering that seems perfect for summertime reading pleasure.\u00a0 Roy is a superb storyteller, and this has all the promise of an epic tale – of India, of love, of unforgettable characters.\u00a0 Yes, a perfect novel for summer afternoons.<\/p>\n

Published, June, 2017.<\/p>\n

Bonus Book (Category: Something to Learn From)<\/strong>: \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n

The Hidden Life of TREES<\/em>, <\/em>Peter Wohlleben<\/p>\n

The subtitle “What They Feel, How They Communicate…Discoveries from a Secret World”, contains the essence of the little known mysteries contained in this little book.\u00a0 The author is a forester turned tree mystery lover and his compilation of facts about trees will change how you feel about these majestic creatures forever.\u00a0 Nurturing, listening, smelling, communicating with their neighbors, trees are complicated and aware.\u00a0 With our awareness of these attributes, possibly we’ll have more respect for these beings that are so vitally important to our survival.\u00a0 I had coveted this book and it was a gift.\u00a0 Thank you Elle!\u00a0 Published 2015, English translation, 2016.<\/p>\n

July<\/strong><\/h1>\n

Monthly Choice<\/strong>:\u00a0 A Bloom of Bones, <\/em>Allen Morris Jones<\/p>\n

It’s an all Montana authors July, and what a celebration of words and depth and meaning these two bring!\u00a0 Jones is a new author for me, and I’m glad I found him.\u00a0 The book was a staff pick at a combo coffee shop\/bookstore\/craft\/ jewelry\/tourist treasure trove in the tiny town of Seely Lake, Montana, happened upon in search of a latte driving back from Helena.\u00a0\u00a0 Published in December, 2016, it is a story of the land, of isolation, of history – and what one of the main characters has had to live with, burning inside him with each passing season.\u00a0 There is poetry and rich prose here, deeply satisfying.<\/p>\n

Bonus Book (Category: Missed from 2002)<\/strong>: \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n

Off to the Side<\/em>, <\/em>Jim Harrison<\/p>\n

Back to one of my favorite Montana authors, Jim Harrison.\u00a0 His writing is just so darned good, I knew this memoir would hold many treasures that would move me.\u00a0 It is pure Harrison – great writing and story telling, funny and irreverent, raw and honest.\u00a0 Yep, I’m a huge fan of Jim Harrison!<\/p>\n

The New York Times Book Review<\/em> calls it “a celebration of the hearty, sensual life”, great for long summer days.<\/p>\n

August<\/strong><\/h1>\n

Monthly Choice<\/strong>: Surviving De<\/em>ath, <\/em>Leslie Kean<\/p>\n

\u201cA journalist investigates evidence for an afterlife\u201d is the line that got me to buy this book at that iconic bookstore, Powell\u2019s, in Portland.\u00a0 The author provides compelling arguments by going through a series of scenarios where personalities, memories, and consciousness appear to transcend the death of the body.\u00a0 These include children who remember past lives at a very young age, and describe who they were (then researchers are actually able to find the history of this real person who lived), people who have experienced near-death, mediums who can go into trance and offer a vehicle for spirits to communicate\u2026 Because the author is a journalist, she only includes the cases\/stories that can be verified, and in the case of mediums, those that work, and that she has experienced herself, in controlled environments.\u00a0 There is no ultimate proof of course, but the book presents a convincing argument when taken in its totality. \u00a0It\u2019s a surprising thing that we humans don\u2019t talk about this inevitable aspect of our life very much.\u00a0 Having been with my Dad when he made the transition, I can attest to the fact that his spirit remained.\u00a0 Published 2017.<\/p>\n

Bonus Book (Category: Missed from 2015)<\/strong>: The Carry Home<\/em>, Lessons from the American Wilderness, <\/em>Gary Ferguson<\/p>\n

I appreciated this book for many reasons \u2013 its love story, its heartbreak, its story of loss and bewilderment, and its story of the wild and its ability to sustain and provide healing.\u00a0 I ordered several of the authors books after reading this true memoir of his life after his wife Jane\u2019s death in a canoeing accident.\u00a0 Woven in that story of reconnection to wilderness that was such an integral part of their life together, is the story of the struggles to keep wilderness wild \u2013 legally, politically, and philosophically.\u00a0 The depth of the connection to the wilds around Yellowstone that this couple had, and that Gary continues to have, is profound.\u00a0 I learned.\u00a0 Another Montana author that I will read more of.\u00a0 Published 2015.<\/p>\n

September<\/strong><\/h1>\n

Monthly Choice:\u00a0 <\/strong>The <\/em>Essex Serpent<\/em>, Sarah Perry<\/p>\n

Published June 2017, this new book by Sarah Perry had the most compelling reviews.\u00a0 Hadn’t heard of the book or the author previously, but reading, “A novel of almost insolent ambition–lush and fantastical, a wild Eden behind a garden gate…it’s part ghost story and part natural history lesson, part romance and part feminist parable. I found it so transporting that 48 hours after completing it, I was still resentful to be back home.”\u00a0 (New York Times),<\/em>\u00a0the author and her new book became irresistible.\u00a0 We’ll ease into re-entry after reading with another good book!<\/p>\n

Bonus Book (Category: Something to Learn From)<\/strong>: In the Presence of GRIZZLIES, the Ancient Bond Between Men and Bears, <\/em>Doug and Andrea Peacock<\/p>\n

With the recent heartbreaking policy decision on delisting the grizzly bear from protected status from the ecosystem surrounding Yellowstone National Park, and my planned September trip to Yellowstone with my family, I was seeking to deepen my understanding of the grizz.\u00a0 Doug Peacock is another Montana writer, and a respected grizzly expert, and his wife, Andrea Peacock, is a respected journalist.\u00a0 They have written this book in collaboration and their approach provides an incredibly comprehensive treatment to understanding the grizzly.\u00a0 Doug writes chapters that are memoirs of individual bears \u2013 or actually several bears compiled \u2013 into a history of terrain, family, encounters, struggles, food, fights, teachings, roaming, and personality.\u00a0 I loved this part of the book, and read these chapters hungrily like a true story of someone I really wanted to know.\u00a0 Andrea\u2019s chapters too are full of characters and personalities \u2013 human this time, – who all interact in different ways with grizzlies.\u00a0 These include photographers, hunters, politicians, conservationists \u2013 all instrumental in the life and survival of the grizzly bear.\u00a0 She is a knowledgeable writer who asks excellent questions. The effect of these interspersed chapters deepened my knowledge of the bear and their environment substantially.\u00a0 Published in 2009, things have changed with this\u00a0 policy of delisting of the grizzly in the ecosystem surrounding Yellowstone.\u00a0 I wish everyone would read this book to gain insights, respect, and honor for this great bear, an essential part of the rare wildness that remains in the lower 48.<\/p>\n

October
\n<\/strong><\/h1>\n

Monthly Choice:\u00a0 <\/strong>The <\/em>Weight of Ink<\/em>, Rachel Kadish<\/p>\n

567 pages of good writing, layered story lines, truths told and hidden, passions realized and denied.\u00a0\u00a0 A 2017 offering that held me in its sway for several days as I nursed a cruddy cold – a great comfort.\u00a0 The book features the life and writing of a Jewish woman from the 1600’s who must hide her thirst for knowledge and questioning. \u00a0This is juxtaposed with a modern day professor of history who has spent her career studying freely, while denying her other passions.\u00a0 Well researched and constructed, I felt lonely for the characters after the last page.\u00a0 Ordered a copy for my niece Sarah for her birthday.<\/p>\n

Bonus Book (Category: Not Well Know)<\/strong>:\u00a0A<\/em> Trail Through Leaves, <\/em>Hannah Hinchman<\/p>\n

This is a most lovely interpretation of the importance of keeping a journal, and how to incorporate drawings and watercolors to provide a deeper integration and record of daily life.\u00a0 This is journal as spiritual enterprise, as an honoring to life itself, as a reverence to the smallest wonders.\u00a0 Hinchman notices everything and takes the care to document the tiniest nuance to the grandest happenings in drawings and writing.\u00a0 The book was full of memorable quotes and insights. \u201cThere\u2019s nothing special about that night that I recall \u2013 no breakthroughs, epiphanies, or raptures. The words were simply dreamy impressions. But something happened there, some powerful gathering force was present, though I didn\u2019t know it at the time.\u201d and \u201cI think the journal itself has taught me to revere the ordinary.\u201d\u00a0 I savored this book, and it caused me to go back to a daily personal journal entry.\u00a0 Published 1997, and found at my local used book store inside Copperleaf Chocolates on Central Avenue – love that place, I find so many book treasures there!<\/p>\n

November<\/strong><\/h1>\n

Monthly Choice:\u00a0 <\/strong>The Purloining of Prince Oleomargarine<\/em>, Mark Twain and Philip Stead with Illustrations by Erin Stead<\/p>\n

Because, Mark Twain!\u00a0 How can a newly published book, 2017, be a new offering from Mark Twain?\u00a0 It is a story that started as a verbal narrative offered to Twain’s young daughters at bedtime.\u00a0 It was never published. Philip Stead has brought it to brilliant life this year.\u00a0 Ostensibly, a children’s book, this gorgeous offering is a true gift of words and illustrations to readers of any age.\u00a0 It is just stunning from start to finish, and I know you’ll enjoy all that it has to offer.\u00a0 And did I mention the illustrations?\u00a0 OMGoodness, they are a exquisite accompaniment to the words – this book is truly a work of art.\u00a0 A gift from Elle – thank you my friend.<\/p>\n

Bonus Book (Category: Not Well Know\/Something to Learn From\/Missed from 2009)<\/strong>: Immortal Self<\/em>, Aaravindha Himadra<\/em><\/p>\n

This is story of the author\u2019s journey to the Himalayan valley of the immortal masters.\u00a0 It is not a novel, but a story of a real journey.\u00a0 The author starts the book with a disclaimer of sorts that states that most will not believe his tale, and indeed it is full of mysterious, mystical, and unbelievable happenings.\u00a0 There are masters that have overcome death and have lived for hundreds of years \u2013 and Himadra talks with them, learns from them, and returns to a mortal and mundane life after spending time in their presence.\u00a0\u00a0 I was drawn to this book immediately upon hearing about it from a friend, Londa.\u00a0 It was published in 2013, so these meetings with the masters were not something from eons ago, but recent.\u00a0 And the author lives on Orcas Island…that resonated too.\u00a0 A rich and expanding read, much of which I did not understand and much of which was certainly in the realm of out of human experience norm.\u00a0 I am intrigued and will check out his website and teaching offerings.<\/p>\n

December<\/strong><\/h1>\n

Monthly Choice:\u00a0 <\/strong>The <\/em>Wisdom of Sunday<\/em>, Oprah Winfrey<\/p>\n

This book was a lovely gift from my Mom, who knew how much I’d love it.\u00a0 As I paged through it, I knew she was right.\u00a0 It is full to brimming with insights from the masters of spiritual thought and contemplation.\u00a0 The subtitle is “Life Changing Insights from Super Soul Conversations”.\u00a0 These profound thinkers and seekers have all appeared on Oprah’s Super Soul Sunday show, and the best of their deep thinking are included in these pages.\u00a0 Oprah’s quote on the opening page, “All of us are seeking the same thing. We share the desire to fulfill the highest truest expression of ourselves as human beings.”\u00a0 And the contributions are from an impressive list including: Eckhart Tolle, Iyanla Vanzant, Marianne Williamson, Don Miquel Ruiz, Gloria Steinem, Thomas Moore, Caroline Myss, Thich Nhat Hanh, Jon Kabat-Zinn, Jack Kornfield, Pema Chodron, Deepak Chopra, Dr. Maya Angelou… and many many more.\u00a0 A beautiful book from cover to cover, with lovely photographs as well.\u00a0 Published 2017.<\/p>\n

Bonus Book (Category: Missed from 2004, Something to Learn From) <\/strong>, Ordinary Wolves, <\/em>Seth Kantner <\/p>\n

I deeply love reading about environments blanketed in snow as our northwest winter gets started.\u00a0 This book gave me this immersement and so much more.\u00a0 It’s definitely one of my favorite books of 2017.\u00a0\u00a0 As the New York Times Book Review says, it is “A magnificently realized story”.\u00a0\u00a0 The cornerstone of the story is the land, with strong supporting roles given respectful attention including the animals, hunting, the Inupiaq, family relationship, snow, sustenance living and the cold.<\/p>\n

There are so many glorious quotes that had me putting the book down to absorb: \u201cDon\u2019t chase money, that\u2019s a cheap way to live\u201d, \u201cDon\u2019t kill animals for glory, that makes you the worst kind of bully”; \u201cmakes the day feel good, seeing bear”;\u00a0 \u201cto the old Eskimos the land was everything. They knew<\/em> the land. I think I was thinking there wasn\u2019t time left\u2026 to let you grow up and find your own wilderness. City, it\u2019s everything about insulating you from the earth. I didn\u2019t want to work some job just to afford to get out to the wilderness once in a while. You can\u2019t have both. I like life close to the earth. It\u2019s alive.\u00a0 The city made me feel wrapped and a long way from myself\u201d; “inside my thoughts, I realized finally that, more than in wind or cold or Breakup, the power and absoluteness of wild earth resided in its huge uncompromising silence.” I will remember these words. Published in 2004, this was Kanter’s debut novel.\u00a0 Astonishing.<\/p>\n

Bonus Book 2 (Category: Not Well Know\/Something to Learn From)<\/strong>: Zeitoun, <\/em>Dave Eggers
\n<\/em><\/p>\n

How often do I have to say this about authors?\u00a0 How can I not have read Dave Eggers before?\u00a0 Published in 2009, this is a true story of one family’s odyssey after Hurricane Katrina in New Orleans.\u00a0 After this 2017 season of horrific hurricanes that devastated, and continue to impact, Houston, Florida, Puerto Rico, the Virgin Islands, and Barbuda this book revealed itself as newly relevant.\u00a0 It is heartbreaking.\u00a0 The hero, a father and husband of Syrian heritage, but of deeply American nationalism, heart, and citizenship, is traumatized by a city demoralized into chaos and inhumanity, and by a political system fraught with prejudice and profiling.\u00a0 It was so hard to read but so well written.\u00a0 The reviews were uniformly stellar.\u00a0 How could this happen in the United States of America?\u00a0 I have no answers, but I learned a lot by reading this book about the realities of that particular hurricane and about life as a minority in our country in the aftermath.\u00a0 Yet another excellent used book find from Copperleaf’s used book carousel outside on Central.\u00a0 I love what my community reads!<\/p>\n

2018<\/h1>\n

<\/p>\n

January<\/strong><\/h1>\n

<\/p>\n

Monthly Choice:\u00a0 <\/strong>Green<\/em>, Sam Graham-Felsen<\/p>\n

A new novel for our new year.\u00a0 Will be published on January 2nd (and can be pre-ordered on Amazon), the review below compelled my interest to start the year with this read:\u00a0\u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0\u00a0 \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 “A coming-of-age novel about race, privilege, and the struggle to rise in America, written by a former Obama campaign staffer and propelled by an exuberant, unforgettable narrator.”\u00a0\u00a0 Race, privilege and the struggle to rise in American – yes, themes that we can all be more aware of.\u00a0 The book has gotten very good initial reviews.<\/p>\n

Bonus Book (Category: Missed from 2014, Something to Learn From)<\/strong>, A Plea for the Animals, <\/b><\/em>Matthieu Ricard<\/p>\n

Although this was first published in 2014, it was just released in translation to English in 2016, and I missed it.\u00a0 Another gift from my friend Elle, she knew it would resonate deeply and it did. The subtitle, “The Moral, Philosophical, and Evolutionary Imperative to Treat All Beings with Compassion”.\u00a0 How can we not do that?\u00a0 But for those that don’t feel that way, the author makes a deeply compelling argument.\u00a0 The translator Sherab Chodzin Kohn, in his preface, states how well researched the book is, and how it changed him during the process of translating the words.\u00a0 I don’t know how any reader cannot be radically changed by reading this book.\u00a0 Please do read it.<\/p>\n

February<\/strong><\/h1>\n

Monthly Choice:\u00a0 <\/strong>Origin<\/em>, Dan Brown<\/p>\n

Disclaimer – do not start this book if you need to accomplish anything beyond reading!\u00a0 Brown’s suspenseful storytelling has never been better, and the eternal questions of “where did we come from” and “where are we going” form the cornerstones of this new novel.\u00a0 The everlasting division between religion and science has center stage, along with the ubiquitous Professor Robert Langdon, and a smattering of symbology.\u00a0 High technology and AI has prominence too, and the whole tapestry made for a two day read that mesmerized me.\u00a0 It’s not the writing, but the storytelling, and that is first rate – hard to put down.\u00a0 And the fact that all the locations,\u00a0 art, architecture, science and religious organizations, are real had me constantly Googling sites in Spain that I was not familiar with and wondered how I wasn’t!\u00a0 I mean, my Goodness (!), Casa Mila and Sagrada Familia by the architect Gaudi,\u00a0 Montserrat Monastery, Chapel Torre Girona, El Escorial, Valley of the Fallen (and its giant cross and subterranean basilica)…and so many more.\u00a0\u00a0 I loved learning about each of these stunning historical sites and the wonder of their impossibly creative and unique architecture.\u00a0 Published late 2017, I gifted this book to Craig who has read all of Brown’s earlier works, and I devoured it after he read it.\u00a0 Always fun to read the same book and discuss it…<\/p>\n

Bonus Book (Category: Something to Learn From) <\/strong>, Beyond the Sky and The Earth, <\/em>Jamie Zeppa <\/p>\n

The secondary title of this book is “A Journey into Bhutan”, so I was intrigued immediately.\u00a0 The author feels a strong pull and calling to go to the Himalayan kingdom when she encounters an opportunity to teach through a Canadian program.\u00a0 She falls in love immediately with the beauty, grandeur, simplicity, authenticity and kindness of Bhutan and her people, then falls in love again with one of her students.\u00a0 I loved her questioning – of everything, and the perspective of acculturation she brings to her writing.\u00a0 Her time in Bhutan began in 1988, and there is political troubles brewing between the Nepali in the south and the strong nationalistic rules being enacted including the mandate that all citizens must wear “national dress”.\u00a0 When I was in Bhutan in 2009, there was a juxtaposition of western music and dress with traditional clothing and values, primarily in the larger city of Thimphu. When we were in the villages and in the rural areas, virtually everything was traditional.\u00a0 The book took me back to the lush valleys, to the hot chilies in food, to the majestic mountains, the mists, the temples, the festivals with masked dancers, the monks, and the phallus’s everywhere – carved over windows, painted on houses, flying over doorways.\u00a0 To me it was a magical and mystical place, full of deep tradition, and only beginning to see the influx of westernization.\u00a0\u00a0 Too, the politics that she describes that include the issue of immigration (sanctioned and not) and nationalism seem current and relevant.\u00a0 I love Bhutan, and I enjoyed this book about this place that I love. Published in 1999, this is another book I found at our used book store at Copperleaf on Central.<\/p>\n

March<\/strong><\/h1>\n

Monthly Choice:\u00a0 <\/strong>The Great Alone<\/em>, Kristin Hannah<\/p>\n

Author of The Nightengale, (<\/em>one of our 2015 book club’s monthly choices), Hannah’s new offering had me at hello with reviews like “epic” (Washington Post), “rapturous” (The New York Times), “riveting” Kirkus Reviews and “fierce, feminist and utterly unputdownable” (Pop Sugar).\u00a0 Impossible not to give this new book published February, 2018 a try!<\/p>\n

Bonus Book (Category: Classic, Something to Learn From), <\/strong>A Wrinkle in Time, <\/em>Madeleine L’Engle
\n<\/em><\/p>\n

This book was instrumental in my life as a reader. As an seven year old\u00a0 it made me want to READ and that passion is as alive today as it was then.\u00a0 E’ingle introduced me to so many wondrous ideas at that young age: time and time travel, science, spirituality, kything (sharing thoughts without words), stars and star gazing as meditation, nature as respite, family, the power of love…\u00a0 My second grade teacher read this aloud to our class after our lunch – I couldn’t wait for the next chapter, couldn’t get enough!\u00a0 I began to see the mystery and wonder of life. In rereading this young adult novel again now, at this point in my life, I found new wonders and learning, all that I remembered and more.\u00a0 I also learned that this novel was the first in a series of five (how could I not know that??), so now I’ve read all of those additional four books as well.\u00a0 And this month, the story will be told on the big screen… this remarkable fable from 1962 told in contemporary times for young girls today.\u00a0 Go out there, be completely and absolutely authentic, be warriors of love!<\/p>\n

April<\/strong><\/h1>\n

Monthly Choice:\u00a0 <\/strong>Forest Bathing<\/em>, Dr. Qinq Li<\/p>\n

Newly published April, 2018, this is the story of shinrin-yoku, the Japanese therapy of being bathed in the energy and peace of the forest.\u00a0 With 100 photos of forests from around the world, I look forward to getting lost in the beauty, majesty and healing power of the forest and learning from Dr. Li.<\/p>\n

Bonus Book (Category: Classic, Something to Learn From), <\/strong>Silence,\u00a0<\/em> Thich Nhat Hanh <\/p>\n

This bonus book selection was made as I reconnected with the power of silence – again.\u00a0 The subtitle “the power of quiet in a world full of noise” resonated – with politics and environmental\/earth degradation. – you know what the mind circle can do with all that stuff – ’nuff said, silence is needed.\u00a0 There are many wise words here, “you come home to yourself so that you can enjoy the here and now in every moment”… and “what you need, what we all need, is silence. Stop the noise in your mind in order for the wondrous sounds of life to be heard. Then you can begin to live your life authentically and deeply.” (and you can do this while forest bathing!)\u00a0 Published 2015.<\/p>\n

May<\/strong><\/h1>\n

Monthly Choice:\u00a0 <\/strong>The Overstory<\/em>, Richard Powers <\/p>\n

This is Powers’ twelfth novel and I have missed his work before now.\u00a0 Now is the right time.\u00a0 It is a novel of intertwined characters deeply involved in the life of the trees.\u00a0 The Amazon review I read said, “If the trees of this earth could speak, what would they tell us? Listen, there is something you need to hear,”\u00a0<\/em>and Barbara Kingsolver had to say in her New York Times Book Review, “\u201cMonumental\u2026The Overstory<\/em> accomplishes what few living writers from either camp, art or science, could attempt. Using the tools of the story, he pulls readers heart-first into a perspective so much longer-lived and more subtly developed than the human purview that we gain glimpses of a vast, primordial sensibility, while watching our own kind get whittled down to size….A gigantic fable of genuine truths.\u201d This book choice seemed the perfect follow up to the forest bathing recommendation from April.\u00a0 Published April, 2018.<\/p>\n

Bonus Book (Category: Something to Learn From ), <\/strong>Belonging,\u00a0<\/em> Toko-pa Turner <\/p>\n

I read Toko-pa Turner’s wise words on Facebook posts a lot.\u00a0 They seem to come at just the right time and are profoundly moving to me during those perfectly timed readings.\u00a0\u00a0 The reviews were moving too – “Certain people invite you into an experience that will alter your world view forever. They have gone so deep, searched so thoroughly, traversed territories that most would shun, and then they return and lay their soul at your feet. Toko-pa is one such individual and this book is her soul made visible.” (Clare Dibois). This book has just received the prestigious 2017 Gold Nautilus Award -published December, 2017.<\/p>\n

June<\/strong><\/h1>\n

Monthly Choice:\u00a0 <\/strong>This is How I Save My Life<\/em>, Amy B. Scher<\/p>\n

The author describes her many years journey into wellness from chronic illness (too numerous to name).\u00a0 From stem cells to oxygen therapy and from the Mayo Clinic to India, she explores every possible avenue to explain and cure her many painful, debilitating, and exasperating symptoms.\u00a0 Step by step she does get better, but she is not completely well until she understands that she may have a role to play in acceptance and love toward her body, stopping the fight and beginning the journey of Love.\u00a0 Along the healing journey she must give up perfection,\u00a0 expectations, prescribed roles, and silence (the silence of not speaking your truth). When she needs to speak it is imperative she do so. When she needs to listen, it must be from the deep voice within. These steps complete her healing journey.\u00a0 For anyone experiencing chronic illness there may be a morsel or two for you here. Published April, 2018.<\/p>\n

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Bonus Book (Category:\u00a0 Missed from 2012), <\/strong>A Man Called Ove,\u00a0<\/em> Fredrik Backman<\/p>\n

This sweet tale is of an iconic curmudgeon whose heart is too big.\u00a0 It reminded me, again, that everyone has an compelling story to tell and all stories have tragedies that deserve our kindness, even when those holding the stories are abrupt and angry.\u00a0 They have their reasons, and we don\u2019t know the steps they\u2019ve walked along the journey.\u00a0 Ove\u2019s journey has held more sadness than most, but his heart, in spite of his swearing and impatience and obstinate ways, always wins out.\u00a0 And he does things, for everyone, the right way.\u00a0 It\u2019s a love story too \u2013 Sonja always holding sway with that too big heart thumping in Ove\u2019s chest.\u00a0 The author is a new one for me, and he\u2019s an astute student of humanity. You can tell that\u2019s he\u2019s a deep observer and listener.\u00a0 I loved the book and will read more by Backman, and appreciate the recommendation from my Kythe Klub Sapphire Girl Soul Sister Gloria.\u00a0 Thanks Glo! Published 2012.<\/p>\n

July<\/strong><\/h1>\n

Monthly Choice:\u00a0<\/strong>Killers of the Flower Moon, <\/em>David Grann<\/p>\n

Grann is a New Yorker staff writer, investigative journalist, and winner of the George Polk Award.\u00a0 He is gifted at using these skills to pen a compelling true story page turner that reads like a mystery novel.\u00a0 This is the true story of the Osage nation, who after being forced onto barren reservation land, found that under that stark landscape was oil rich reserves – enough to make them all wealthy beyond imagining.\u00a0 They became the wealthiest people per capita in all the world for a short period of time.\u00a0 That made them targets of white greed, and the lengths to which prominent, respected citizens went to murder those with headrights to annual mineral rights payments is sickening and shocking.\u00a0 Doctors, lawyers, grand jurors, politicians, mayors, husbands (of Osage women), bankers, all had no compunction to have a Native American killed to take their money.\u00a0 I\u2019ve read a lot of Native American history, spirituality, philosophy, and fiction and did not know this story.\u00a0 There are also components of J. Edgar Hoover’s reign, and the birth of the FBI, in the narrative and that adds to the fascination.\u00a0 This book was a surprise gift which arrived by mail with a note from Beth and Perry.\u00a0 They had both read it and knew I would appreciate it.\u00a0 I did appreciate gaining the knowledge and reading the excellent writing, and appreciated too their sending this unexpected gift.\u00a0 Published 2017.\u00a0 ps, this is a departure in that I don’t traditionally read or watch anything with words like murder or killers in the title – since this was a recommendation and gift, I did (and glad I did).<\/p>\n

Bonus Book (Category:\u00a0 Missed from 2013; Something to Learn From),\u00a0<\/strong>The Reason I Jump,\u00a0<\/em> Naoki Higashida <\/p>\n

\u201cThe inner voice of a thirteen-year-old boy with autism\u201d is the secondary title, and indeed it is a profound glimpse into the workings of the mind of this very special boy.\u00a0 The author is not verbal, and must use a letter board to painstakingly point to each letter to form the words, sentences, and paragraphs that lead to this remarkable book of insights.\u00a0 He explains his and others with autism\u2019s propensity to run away, to move fingers in front of his eyes, to jump, and what goes on inside him when he thinks he\u2019s a burden to those around him.\u00a0 Ultimately, it shows a profoundly intelligent, sensitive, articulate young man who seeks to be understood by the \u201cneuro-typical\u201d.\u00a0 It is also beautiful to see that he realizes that his atypical neural responses make him different but special, valued and treasured.\u00a0 I thought I had empathy and compassionate for the warrior like struggles that people with autism undergo daily, hourly, but how can you have true compassion and empathy without understanding?\u00a0 This book bridges that gap.\u00a0 Highly recommended.\u00a0 Jon Stewart said it was one of the most remarkable books he’d ever read. Thanks for recommending Gloria! Published in 2017 in Japanese, translated to English in 2013.<\/p>\n

August<\/strong><\/h1>\n

Monthly Choice:\u00a0<\/strong> The Restless Wave, <\/em>John McCain
\n<\/strong><\/p>\n

Because John McCain. Iconic, spitfire, patriot, prisoner of war, senator, presidential candidate.\u00a0 I will never forget his defense of President Obama during the campaign preceding his election.\u00a0 McCain had no time for bigotry and explained, when confronted by the character accusation of his rival candidate, that Obama was an honorable man who he had political differences with.\u00a0 That’s exactly how I feel about Senator McCain – he was an honorable man who I had political differences with. I want to honor his legacy of service and sacrifice by reading this recent biography of his life.\u00a0 Published 2018.<\/p>\n

Bonus Book (Category:\u00a0 Missed from 2017; Something to Learn From),<\/em><\/strong>\u00a0<\/em> <\/strong>A <\/em>Good Country, <\/em>Laleh Khadivi<\/p>\n

This book was presented by Book Browse, the site I enjoy consulting for new publications.\u00a0 It was new to me and I found it intriguing as a novel that explores how a young, privileged, and wealthy young man can be radicalized in the United States.\u00a0 In this story, the process only takes a year…\u00a0 From the Amazon review, “Timely, nuanced, and emotionally forceful, A Good Country<\/i> is a gorgeous meditation on modern life, religious radicalization, and a young man caught among vastly different worlds.” Published May, 2017.<\/p>\n

September<\/strong><\/h1>\n

Monthly Choice: <\/strong>Labyrinth of the Spirits<\/em>, <\/em>Carlos Ruiz Zafon<\/p>\n

I was thrilled<\/em> to see a new novel in the cemetery of forgotten books series from author Carlos Ruiz Zafon.\u00a0 The preceding books were mesmerizing – I was completely absorbed and so sad when they ended.\u00a0 I am surprised and excited that there’s another installment.\u00a0 Published mid September 2018.\u00a0 More to follow after reading but I know I (and hopefully you!) will love it! *And if you haven’t read the others (Shadow of the Wind, The Angel’s Game and The Prisoner of Heaven)<\/em> you may want to indulge while waiting for this one to be published.\u00a0 You don’t have to read them in order though, each novel is completely self contained.<\/p>\n

Bonus Book (Category:\u00a0 Missed from 2015; Something to Learn From),<\/em><\/strong>\u00a0<\/em> <\/strong>Notorious RBG<\/em>, <\/em>Irin Carmon, Shana Knizhnik<\/p>\n

Ruth Bader Ginsburg, iconic Supreme Court Justice, subject of a recently aired documentary, half a century of law (so far!) as her legacy.\u00a0 For me this was a timely choice with all that’s going on with the new nominee to the Supreme Courtf. We have choices on what we focus on in these times, in all times. Published, October, 2015.<\/p>\n

October<\/strong><\/h1>\n

Monthly Choice:<\/strong> What If This Were Enough? <\/em>Heather Havrilesky
\n<\/strong><\/p>\n

When I read the title I knew that I wanted to read these essays.\u00a0 I didn’t know the author, and found intriguing things with a little research.\u00a0 Havrilesky writes the “Ask Polly” column for New York Magazine, is a humorist, is the author of Disaster Preparedness <\/em>and How to Be A Person in the World,<\/em> and she’s written for NPR, The Atlantic and the New Yorker (and others).\u00a0 Looking forward to her perceptive perspective of seeing life itself for the gift that it is. Published September 2018.<\/p>\n

Bonus Book (Category:\u00a0 Something to Learn From),<\/em><\/strong>\u00a0<\/em> The Good Neighbor<\/em>, The Life and Work of Fred Rogers,<\/em> Maxwell King<\/p>\n

Thank you Fred Rogers for being a radiant beacon.\u00a0 One of the first advocates for early childhood education and excellence in television, Rogers never wavered from his high ideals.\u00a0 He walked his talk.\u00a0 So much to learn here – he was an ordained minister having graduated from seminary, he was an accomplished pianist and composer graduating from Rollins College magna cum laude with a degree in music, he testified in front of Congress about the importance of public television, he was a devoted father of two sons.<\/p>\n

The world needs more kindness, and Fred Rogers exemplifies how to live a life deeply dedicated to it.\u00a0 The end.<\/p>\n

Published September, 2018<\/p>\n

November<\/strong><\/h1>\n

Monthly Choice:<\/strong> Becoming, <\/em>Michelle Obama<\/p>\n

Cannot wait to learn born about this highly intelligent, Harvard and Princeton educated, lawyer, FLOTUS, Mother, Daughter and Wife.\u00a0 What I witnessed as she flowed through her years as First Lady were her strength, smarts, elegance and dignity. She never went low, she was (and is) a leader; she is steadfast, loyal and dedicated.\u00a0 In reading reviews I have newly learned that her daughters were both conceived in-vitro… Who knew? This revelation alone will give hope to many women – many couples. I know there will be many other revelations to come from this book regarding this remarkable woman. Published November 2018.<\/p>\n

Alternative Monthly Choice: <\/strong>The Winter Soldier, <\/em>Daniel Mason<\/p>\n

War novels are not my thing, but this one compelled me for two reasons – it is from the perspective of a medic stationed at a remote field hospital (so it’s not a description of war scenes), and secondly, that the memory of the horrific bloodbath that was World War I is becoming remote in our memory.\u00a0 Always remember. We lost our last World War I veteran in 2012, and this year, on November 11th, the one hundredth anniversary of Armistice Day will be honored.\u00a0 This was a monumental day where on the 11th hour of the 11th day of the 11th month of 1918, World War I formally ended.\u00a0 This is our Veteran’s Day, and in Europe, Remembrance Day.<\/p>\n

Mason is the international bestselling author of The Piano Tuner <\/em>and the reviews of his new book are excellent. Published September, 2018.<\/p>\n

December<\/strong><\/h1>\n

Monthly Choice: <\/strong>Unsheltered<\/em>, <\/em>Barbara Kingsolver<\/p>\n

A new novel by Barbara Kingsolver – yep, had me at hello.\u00a0 The reviews, always good for this author, describe the story as one who asks a question – “how can two people who have worked all of their lives, end up destitute?” Unsheltered.\u00a0 Where our very home is at stake, we are deeply vulnerable. Love Kingsolver’s writing and look forward to this new offering. Published, October 2018.<\/p>\n

Bonus Book: Category: Alternative Choice<\/em>: <\/strong>Wilderness<\/em>, <\/em>Scott Stillman <\/p>\n

Wilderness, to me, is truly a gateway to the soul, so this subtitle of the author’s resonated .\u00a0 And his words continued to hold me.\u00a0 Stillman, often treks into wilderness alone to be completely absorbed, and he is talented at conveying just how much wonder you can deeply feel by doing that.\u00a0 He treks into Wyoming, Colorado, Idaho, and Oregon for days at a time with an openness to experiencing the rich moment of being in wilderness.\u00a0 So many times I put the book aside to experience with him, and to savor the words. I think you will also be enamored of the rich tapestry that he lays before you in this book.\u00a0 A review by and included on the cover says, “reminiscent of Edward Abbey ” and I would agree, but Stillman has his own voice too worthy of our time and attention. Published 2018.<\/p>\n

2019<\/h1>\n

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January<\/strong><\/h1>\n

Monthly Choice:<\/strong>\u00a0 The Water Cure<\/em>,<\/em>\u00a0Sophie Mackintosh<\/p>\n

Found this book on the 25 most anticipated books of 2019 from Esquire Magazine <\/em>and the review says, “In this sensational debut, three sisters sequestered for life from the toxic world of men are catapulted into emotional turmoil when three men wash ashore on their isolated island. Part fable, part feminist dystopia, Mackintosh\u2019s taut novel turns a keen, unsparing eye on violence, patriarchy, and desire.”\u00a0 Intriguing. I look forward to delving into this perspective of being “sequestered from the toxic world of men”.\u00a0 Politics notwithstanding, I’ve been blessed with men in my life that I wouldn’t have wanted to have experienced this life without, my Dad, Craig, my brothers, some good friends, even some ex-husbands!\u00a0 Yes, looking forward to the author’s perspective and this interesting story line. Published Jan. 8, 2019.<\/p>\n

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Bonus Book: Category:\u00a0 Classic:\u00a0<\/em><\/strong>The Group,\u00a0<\/em>Mary McCarthy
\n<\/em><\/p>\n

Sometimes I like to read through a few author’s and magazine’s choices for those books that everyone should read in their lifetime.\u00a0 This bonus book pic was one of ten books that fit that category for novelist and essayist, Sloane Crosely.\u00a0 As a part of her explanation for this choice she says, “Every woman should read it to know themselves; every man should read it to know who they’re dealing with” and also, “The Group<\/em> is a seminal, massively vital book written ahead of its time (it was banned here and there) and yet very much of its time, focusing on gender politics, friendship, socioeconomic status and influencing whole genres of contemporary fiction \u2014 all while being a total blast to read.”\u00a0 How can I have missed it?\u00a0 Published 1954 (!), the novel is about eight recent Vassar graduates, class of 1933 (!!).<\/p>\n

February<\/strong><\/h1>\n

Monthly Choice:\u00a0 <\/strong>The Bear and the Nightingale<\/em>,<\/em>\u00a0Katherine Arden<\/p>\n

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I was looking for an absorbing winter read\u00a0 when I came across this staff pick at my local bookseller, Bookworks, in Whitefish.\u00a0 Of course the bear part got me, and then the accompanying “book one of the winternight trilogy” on the cover definitely spoke to me! Three potential books for getting immersed in on these long, snowy, winter nights. This is a National Bestseller and The Washington Post says, “Arden’s novel has the cadence of a beautiful fairy tale but is darker and more lyrical.”\u00a0 Perfect. Published 2017.\u00a0 Next book in the series is The Girl in the Tower, <\/em>also available in paperback.<\/p>\n

Bonus Book: Category: Alternative Choice<\/em>: <\/strong>Princesses Behaving Badly<\/em>, <\/em>Linda Rodriguez McRobbie<\/p>\n

And in a kind of un-fairy tale kind of segue from the monthly choice, this alternative choice contains a collection of real-life stories of women from history that are warriors, usurpers, schemers, survivors, partiers, floozies and madwomen (these are the chapter titles). Featured are thirty women’s stories, all real princesses, and fair warning, most of their lives do not have fairy tale endings. Published 2017.<\/p>\n

March<\/strong><\/h1>\n

Monthly Choice:\u00a0 <\/strong>The Library Book<\/em>, Susan Orlean<\/p>\n

I am intrigued by this book, published late in 2018, for two easy reasons.\u00a0 First, it is by Susan Orlean who wrote The Orchid Thief<\/em>, which I loved, and secondly, it is about libraries.\u00a0 This book was a January featured book by Oprah magazine, and in the interview with Orlean she says in speaking of libraries: “They keep evolving as town squares where diverse communities can share and access information. ” John Szabo, the current head of Central, views libraries as the people’s university – “apolitical spaces where no one is being judged. Simply being in a library gives us the sense that we have access to all the knowledge in the world. Looking for information there is so different from surfing the internet, which can feel untethered and chaotic. Libraries are busy places, but soothing too.” I hadn’t thought of that difference from the internet to libraries in info gathering, and appreciated it.\u00a0 Libraries and bookstores are two favorite places of mine for sure, so I know I’ll enjoy this subject matter and the author’s writing. Published Oct., 2018.<\/p>\n

Bonus Book: Category: Missed from 2015\/Something to Learn From<\/em>: <\/strong>Walking in Wonder<\/em>, <\/em>John O’Donohue <\/p>\n

John O’Donohue wrote the iconic Anam Cara <\/em>and To Bless The Space Between Us,<\/em> both beautifully spiritual and full of Celtic mysticism. This book, that I wasn’t aware of until this month, contains conversations with John Quinn, his close friend and a radio broadcaster.\u00a0\u00a0 A poet, scholar (PhD in Philosophical Theology), and a philosopher, O’Donohue fills minds and hearts with “eternal wisdom for a modern world” (from the subtitle).\u00a0 Wonder, imagination and possibility were “John’s great concerns” says John Quinn. What could be better to read about as winter fades and a new spring begins?<\/p>\n

April<\/strong><\/h1>\n

Monthly Choice:\u00a0 <\/strong>The Patch, <\/em>John McPhee<\/p>\n

A series of essays in two parts, “The Sporting Scene” with entries on fishing, football, golf, lacrosse, and bears” and “An Album Quilt”, that the book jacket says in its entirety is a “covert memoir”.\u00a0 This is McPhee’s seventh collection of essays, and is dedicated to his 10 grandchildren (all of whom have very cool names!).\u00a0 Looking forward to John McPhee’s vision of the world!\u00a0 Published 2018.<\/p>\n

Bonus Book: Category: Missed from 2015<\/em>: <\/strong>Beatlebone<\/em>, <\/em>Kevin Barry<\/p>\n

Another find from my local bookseller, Bookworks, as a staff pick.\u00a0 It won the Goldsmith Prize and was a New York Times notable book.\u00a0 I missed it when it first came out, but was immediately taken by the story line that the back explains: “It is 1978 and John Lennon has escaped New York City to try to find the island off the west coast of Ireland he bought eleven years prior…. But when he puts himself in the hands of a shape-shifting driver full of Irish charm and dark whimsy, what ensues can only be termed a magical mystery tour.”\u00a0 Being that I am a total Beatlefreak this has got to be fun! Published 2015.<\/p>\n

May<\/strong><\/h1>\n

Monthly Choice:\u00a0<\/strong> Educated, <\/em>Tara Westover<\/p>\n

A memoir of the youngest child of seven, raised on a mountain in Idaho, remote, isolated and uneducated.\u00a0 Tara does not have any formal education until going to BYU at the age of sixteen.\u00a0 This in itself is astonishing; that she has enough self possession and motivation to earn her GED and pass the entrance exam, teaching herself algebra and trigonometry.\u00a0 Equally astonishing is that she becomes a recipient of a fellowship to Cambridge and also to Harvard, and earns her PhD from Cambridge ten years after she began her first classes at BYU.\u00a0 The story is about being educated and the toll that took of separation from the fundamentalist beliefs of her staunch Mormon parents.\u00a0 There is violence, there are untold rewritten histories of what was allowed in the family.\u00a0 It is heart wrenching.\u00a0 She expresses the rawness and the abiding hurt of having to disavow parents and four of her seven siblings in order to survive, physically and mentally. Three of these children, including the author, earn their PhD while the other four never completed their high school diplomas.\u00a0 There is the divide, ultimately, in education, and in the breaking down of fundamentalism that this education illuminated.\u00a0 Westover’s first book and it is a #1 New York Times bestseller, published 2018.<\/p>\n

Bonus Book: Category: Missed from 2018:<\/em><\/strong> Where the Crawdads Sing,<\/em> Delia Owens <\/p>\n

Recommended by an on line book club that I’m recently a part of (thanks Marianne!), I loved the lyrical writing, the characters, and the story.\u00a0 Kya comes alive on the pages, an orphaned child whose mother is the marsh.\u00a0 The connection to all the coastal environment offers her is all that she has, and she is absorbed by it.\u00a0 I loved too the respect for indigenous knowledge gained by years of attention and study of an environment by a non-scholar, who, in the book, is later recognized as a scholar of the marsh for her years of study and her intimate understanding.\u00a0 Owens has coauthored bestselling nonfiction books in the past, award winning ones about wildlife, and she has a PhD in Animal Behavior. This depth of knowledge is wonderfully exhibited in her fiction.\u00a0 This is her first novel and was a NY Times bestseller. Published 2018.<\/p>\n

June<\/strong><\/h1>\n

Monthly Choice:\u00a0 <\/strong>The Breath of a Whale<\/em>, <\/em>Leigh Calvez<\/p>\n

I always include at least one study each year of our four legged, winged or finned co-planet inhabitants on this book list. I love reading about them. And in honor of my trip to Hawaii this month, to Maui and to the Big Island, and to Orcas Island, Washington, in April, this choice is close to my heart.\u00a0 It is the “science and spirit of Pacific Ocean Giants”, and features humpback and Orcas whales – two that I’ve spent much quality time with living on Maui and Orcas Islands.\u00a0 Their singing, their families, their displays of communication and joy!!\u00a0 Cannot wait to learn more. Published 2019.<\/p>\n

Bonus Book: Category: Classic\/Missed from 2015\/Local Author:\u00a0 <\/em><\/strong>The Wild Inside,<\/em> Christine Carbo <\/p>\n

A suspense novel by a Whitefish author set in Glacier National Park, this book had my interest immediately when I found it at our local grocery store in the local interest section.\u00a0 Yes, the grocery store.\u00a0 I’m not a suspense or murder mystery reader so this is a departure, but I wanted to check it out with the setting, and I was glad that I did.\u00a0 Not just the immediate setting of the investigation which is McGree Meadow, but Two Medicine, and Apgar, Logan Pass and Kalispell and Whitefish and Columbia Falls and many many more locations that are well known to me, bringing an intimacy to the story.\u00a0 I liked the characters too, flawed and honest.\u00a0 And they love Glacier National Park and the valley that I call home here in northwest Montana.\u00a0 Published 2015.<\/p>\n

July<\/strong><\/h1>\n

Monthly Choice:\u00a0 <\/strong>Indian Horse<\/em>,\u00a0<\/em>Richard Wagamese<\/p>\n

Published in 2018, this novel was just made into a movie, co-produced by Clint Eastwood.\u00a0 It tells the story of the institutionalization of Native Canadians, and the devastating aftermath of emotional trauma these missionary schools left on the students who were ripped from their families, forced into abandoning their language, their culture, their spirituality – virtually everything they had ever known.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Ojibway is the tribe of Indian Horse, and his words are eloquent, his path tragic.\u00a0 This, in spite of his heralded talent as a hockey player and those who selflessly reached out to help…\u00a0 but the wounds were too deep, his voice swallowed and silent. I saw the movie before reading the book, and I almost always do it the other way ’round. Look forward to reading more from the Ojibway perspective.<\/p>\n

Bonus Book: Category: Classic\/Something to Learn From: <\/em><\/strong> Black Elk Speaks, <\/em>John Neihardt<\/p>\n

This is a newer published version of the 1932 classic.\u00a0 A book that I treasure and will be reading for the third time.\u00a0 This edition was published in 2014; the original published in 1932, and again in 1988 .\u00a0 Black Elk’s life spanned the years of 1863 – 1950; he was one of the last who knew the old Lakota ways.\u00a0 This books is considered “an American classic” (Western Historical Quarterly), and “religious classic” (Vine Deloria, Jr.).\u00a0 Neihardt’s telling is eloquent too – he was the first Poet Laureate of Nebraska. In later life, Black Elk embraced Catholicism; it seems he blended beliefs in a way that worked for him – the beating drum was still the heartbeat of the universe.\u00a0 This fact has not diminished my love for, and my belief in, the authenticity of Black Elk Speaks.\u00a0 <\/em>The respect is furthered by the foreword by Vine Deloria, Jr. After this month’s selection of Indian Horse, <\/em>the book, and after seeing the movie, I wanted to revisit and learn more about Black Elk’s vision and remember his perspective.\u00a0 It’s been a decade or so, and I know with how I’ve grown and changed the book will have a new and different impact on me.\u00a0 If you haven’t read it, I hope you will.<\/p>\n

August<\/strong><\/h1>\n

Monthly Choice:\u00a0 <\/strong>City of Girls,<\/em> Elizabeth Gilbert<\/p>\n

Always on board for an Elizabeth Gilbert offering having devoured Eat, Pray, Love <\/em>and The Signature of All Things.\u00a0 <\/em>Published June 5th, I preordered this book in March after reading that is was named a “Most Anticipated Book of 2019” by Oprah.com, Real Simple<\/i>, Buzzfeed,<\/i> Cosmopolitan,<\/i> GoodReads,<\/i> PureWow,<\/i> Vulture <\/i>(and others).\u00a0 Love the perspective of an 89 year old woman looking back… my Mom had her 89th in June.\u00a0 Maybe she’d like to read it too!<\/p>\n

Bonus Book: Category: Something to Learn From: <\/em><\/strong>Seven Thousand Ways to Listen,<\/em> Mark Nepo<\/p>\n

Mark Nepo’s words always move me.\u00a0 His quotes keep crossing my path…\u00a0 The Book of Awakening<\/em> is another good choice to experience his words and his perspective on life.\u00a0 This book was intricately enmeshed in a time when his hearing was compromised, and he says he began to learn more to hear with his eyes and his heart.\u00a0 I want to do more of that too.\u00a0 Deepak Chopra says on the front cover, “If you live the questions, life will move you into the answers. Mark Nepo offers you a map to explore the sacred in your own being.”\u00a0 what better reading is that? Published in 2012.<\/p>\n

September<\/strong><\/h1>\n

Monthly Choice:\u00a0 The Second Mountain,\u00a0<\/em><\/strong>David Brooks<\/p>\n

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A gift of a book, carefully chosen, touches my heart.\u00a0 A good sized piece of\u00a0 my family gathered this summer in August, and we celebrated time together and the wonder of Glacier National Park.\u00a0 Before he left, my nephew, John, left this book that he had chosen, wrapped and very special to me.\u00a0 It explores “the quest for a moral life”.\u00a0 John knew this would resonate with me as the author writes about what it means to live a meaningfully.\u00a0 Published 2019 this book was new to me, and I look forward to exploring every last morsel of its wisdom.\u00a0 Thank you John.<\/p>\n

Bonus Book: <\/em><\/strong>Daisy Jones & The Six<\/em>,<\/em> Taylor Jenkins Reid, Category: Just for Fun<\/strong><\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

Another spot I love to check out for potential new reads is Tattered Cover Bookstore out of Denver. When I worked there (in Denver), it was a favorite place to visit and relax with great events, super good coffee, comfy old armchairs, and books<\/em>… perfection.\u00a0 This book was listed as one of their “best indie pics” for March 2019, the reviews were interesting and the story line something I know I’ll enjoy.\u00a0 Hope you do too!<\/p>\n

October<\/strong><\/h1>\n

Monthly Choice:\u00a0\u00a0<\/strong>A Pilgrimage to Eternity,<\/em> Timothy Egan<\/p>\n

A walk, bus ride, train, or otherwise, journey “from Canterbury to Rome in search of faith”.\u00a0 Egan is a great storyteller, even when immersed in the troublesome history of religion and the true story of his pilgrimage.\u00a0 His walk is infused with questions, and examinations of how so much misery and murder could have accompanied and been defended by faith.\u00a0 The countryside is beautiful, the small towns charming, the history alarming, the observations so interesting… and within it all it is the questioning that provides perfect reading.\u00a0 Through Canterbury, Calais, Wisques, Saint-Olmer, Arras, Laon, Epernay, Wassy, Langres… and through Switzerland and finally into Italy these questions of faith are compelling.\u00a0 These are the questions of a true Pilgrim.\u00a0 Of a Catholic. Of a seeker. Questions that all of us face. I loved this book. Published 2019.<\/p>\n

Bonus Book:<\/em><\/strong> Voices in the Stones,<\/em> Kent Nerburn Category: Must Read
\n<\/strong><\/p>\n

Kent Nerburn has spent 30 years among Native peoples of the Americas and the wisdom from these years is infused in this little book.\u00a0 Nerburn, too, is an excellent writer and distiller of wonder and wisdom ( I plan on reading all of Nerburn’s books).\u00a0 This one is subtitled, “Life Lessons from the Native Way”, and the lessons are deep and substantive. He, like Egan, is a storyteller, and this is his way of sharing his years of learning with Native Nation members, from elders to children, along his learning journey among them.\u00a0 It is the kind of reading that has you pausing often to absorb the deepness contained in the words that represent so many years of letting a different worldview permeate your mind and heart.\u00a0 Highly recommended. Published 2016.<\/p>\n

November<\/strong><\/h1>\n

Monthly Choice:\u00a0\u00a0<\/strong>In the Valleys of the Noble Beyond, <\/em>John Zada<\/p>\n

Sasquatch is real to the coastal Native Nation members of the Great Bear Rainforest of British Columbia.\u00a0 This is the story of that belief, the majesty of the deep forests of the Great Bear, and of the people who inhabit this land.\u00a0 The allure of the mystery of the Yeti is compelling. The author has had an affinity for this story his whole life and he is determined to find proof, going to those places were sightings are prevalent, speaking to those witnesses.\u00a0 He approaches the possibilities as a journalist would, but he’s not immune to the subjective.\u00a0 I loved this story of the mystery of the Sasquatch, and of this beautiful wild country that this creature and its people call home.\u00a0 I found this book in the gift shop of the Prince of Wales Hotel in Waterton, Alberta. Published 2019.<\/p>\n

Bonus Book: <\/em><\/strong>If Women Rose Rooted,<\/em> Sharon Blackie\u00a0,\u00a0Category, Missed from 2016<\/strong><\/em>
\n<\/strong><\/p>\n

This quote on the back cover is what compelled this choice, “This is the core of our task: to respect and revere ourselves, and so bring about a world in which women are respected and revered, recognized once again as holding the life-giving power of the earth itself.”\u00a0 As I thumbed through it, and read a few passages to consider it as a new read, I found such foundational and fundamental connection to the earth, to being present, to witnessing ourselves as women, and in our sacred mission to the respect and reverence of life and of ourselves spoken about in the above quote.\u00a0 I knew I must read it.\u00a0 Originally published in 2016, this edition published 2019.<\/p>\n

December<\/strong><\/h1>\n

Monthly Choice:\u00a0\u00a0<\/strong>There, There<\/em>, Tommy Orange<\/p>\n

On Dec. 11th, I finish up my first graduate course in Native American Studies.\u00a0 I have learned a tremendous amount about the myths and the identity of Native Nation members, the 567 tribes of the Native Nations in our country, and their horrific struggle to survive annihilation.\u00a0 A chapter from this book was assigned in the class to showcase a contemporary Native American experience in the city, in Oakland.\u00a0 To show that Native Nation members are still here, some excelling in all facets of life, some struggling to survive. Orange is an excellent writer, and he received acknowledgement for his writing as the the book was a finalist for the Pulitzer Prize. He tells the individual stories of Indians in the city, all as unique as the individuals that they are.\u00a0 Their stories and their lives will converge in dramatic fashion.\u00a0 As Margaret Atwood espouses on the cover, “An astonishing literary debut!”.\u00a0 Indeed.\u00a0 Can’t wait for more from this author. Published in 2018 .<\/p>\n

Bonus Book:<\/em><\/strong> All the Real Indians Died Off<\/em>,<\/em> Roxanne Dubar-Ortiz and Dina Gilio-Whitaker Category: <\/strong>Something to Learn From<\/p>\n

This book, too, was assigned reading in my Native American Studies class.\u00a0 Each week a myth was dispelled in the class and an accompanying chapter was assigned in this book, along with lots of other reading.\u00a0 The authors make the subject matter digestible if not palatable.\u00a0 Many of these facts were not new to me, but even after so much of my reading, there were still shocking new facts to take in.\u00a0 The myths encompass all aspects of Indian life, including that they were “given” reservations, that Columbus “discovered” America, that there wasn’t violence after that land deal meal that was the first “Thanksgiving”.\u00a0 It is interesting and distressing just how much of what we think we know of history is based on half-truths, distortions, omissions, and many times exhibiting no truth at all. I promise this little book will change the way you feel about many things as they relate to our nations first people.\u00a0 Published 2016.<\/p>\n

2020<\/h1>\n

<\/p>\n

January<\/strong><\/h1>\n

Monthly Choice:<\/strong> Year of the Monkey<\/em>, Patti Smith<\/p>\n

Another of Patti Smith’s books has been selected here, as she has become a favorite.\u00a0 This one is the winner of the National Book Award, published in 2019.\u00a0 She’s an artist in both the music and writing realms, and I enjoy both.\u00a0 There are black and white photos and raw, thoughtful remembrances and revelations from life.\u00a0 There is prose that reads like poetry. This from the back cover exemplifies the depth and moving words she is capable of: “There were bells tolling and wreaths tossed and women turning in circles and there were bees performing their life-cycle dance and there were great winds and swollen moons and pyramids crumbling and coyotes crying and the waves mounting and it all smelled like the end and the beginning of freedom,” and “the things that transport us can be so random.”\u00a0 I could have included dozens and dozens of quotes here, but you’ll pick your own.\u00a0 It is impossible to separate dream from reality – do we need to?<\/p>\n

Bonus Book:<\/em><\/strong> Returning to Earth<\/em>,<\/em> Jim Harrison Category:\u00a0 <\/strong>A Favorite Author <\/strong><\/p>\n

Definitely starting off the year with beloved authors… and Harrison is a favorite.\u00a0 This novel continues a character that wasn’t featured in an earlier story, Donald, a Chippewa – Finnish man, but that I remembered him well.\u00a0 A well developed character study, a la Harrison, I was glad to see Donald back.\u00a0 About Harrison’s writing, The New York Times Book Review <\/em>wrote, “There is a singular comfort in knowing, on the first page of a novel, that you are in the hands of a master…Makes the ordinary extraordinary, the unnameable unforgettable.”\u00a0 Published 2007.\u00a0 I love this man’s writing. If you haven’t read him, please do.<\/p>\n

February<\/strong><\/h1>\n

Monthly Choice:<\/strong> Born a Crime<\/em>, Trevor Noah<\/p>\n

It’s an election year, and we’re bombarded with opinions, and news that isn’t, falsehoods… you really have to dig deep for truth and be responsible for doing that.\u00a0 Don’t absorb what’s dished out without due diligence.\u00a0 Reading what I can unearth for truth is a mission; our comedians that tell us like it is in their own unique way is an enhancement to that – gets the mind moving.\u00a0 Trevor Noah is a favorite with the way he shocks us with the truth.\u00a0 This book is not about the upcoming election, or his political views though. It is a book about his upbringing in South Africa, and his deep connection and love for his mother.\u00a0 He grew up under apartheid, but also got to experience the dawn of freedom.\u00a0 Born a Crime<\/em> was selected as one of the best books of the year (2019) by The New York Times, USA Today, San Francisco Chronicle, NPR, Esquire, Newsday and Booklist, all sources of new reads for me, and was the winner of the Thurber Prize for American humor, and the NAACP Image Award.\u00a0 Enjoy!<\/p>\n

Bonus Book, Something to Learn From: <\/strong>the Artist’s Rule,\u00a0<\/em>Christine Valters Paintner<\/p>\n

For quiet moments and deepening into your creative heart and your contemplative inner nature, this book is a treasure.\u00a0 Written as a 12 week journey, each chapter has meditations, exercises that uncover creativity and healing, movement, walking and wisdom.\u00a0 The author is a Benedictine monk.\u00a0 Didn’t know that was possible for either a woman or someone that didn’t physically live in a monastery.\u00a0 Love Learning!\u00a0\u00a0 I will be working through the chapters this year.\u00a0 Published 2011.<\/p>\n

March<\/strong><\/h1>\n

Monthly Choice:<\/strong> The Unlikely Thru-Hiker<\/em>, Derick Lugo<\/p>\n

I would never have found this book had it not been recommended by a friend, Phil. Phil has done the entire Appalachian Trail, twice, as well as the PCT, and many other impressive months long hiking adventures, so the recommendation coming from him about “an Appalachian Trail Journey” made me want to read it.\u00a0 And it’s March, where northwest Montana begins its long wake up from winter’s quiet and snow, and we begin to think about Spring, being outside in warmer weather and hiking!\u00a0 The author is a comedian from Brooklyn and had never hiked – that’s the unique perspective he brings.\u00a0 In spite of this lack of experience, he sets out to complete the entire trek from Georgia to Maine – and he does!\u00a0 This is Lugo’s first book, published in 2019, and I know I’m going to enjoy his humor and perspective along the 1,900 trail.<\/p>\n

Bonus Book:<\/em><\/strong> the Hermit’s Story<\/em>,<\/em> Rick Bass Category:\u00a0 <\/strong>A Favorite Author<\/p>\n

Rick Bass lives just north of us up in the Yaak.\u00a0 He is a student, an acute observer, of humanity and in these stories expresses his love for the characters in his remote valley in northwest Montana deploying his acclaimed superb writing.\u00a0 Nature is deeply interwoven, inextricably stitched, into the fabric of life of the Yaak and in these stories.\u00a0 Bass understands this connection between humans and nature intimately, and has the words to express passion, loss, and the course of things in lives and relationships. Some of his sentences stop me, and I reread them, think about quoting them, and do sometimes quote his words on Sweet Breathing.\u00a0 They are so good.\u00a0 He is so present to life, to emotions, and to relationships. This is a book of nine short stories – a genre I rarely delve into.\u00a0 Each story though had me from the first paragraph.\u00a0 They’re so very different, but somehow there is a common thread, that of humanity and wildness intertwined.\u00a0 I loved these stories – worth a reread.\u00a0 Published 2002.<\/p>\n

April<\/strong><\/h1>\n

Monthly Choice:<\/strong> The Book Woman of Troublesome Creek<\/em>, Kim Michele Richardson<\/p>\n

In these unprecedented times, good reads are vital!\u00a0 Here’s how this book came to me – a new author and a new possibility to my reading list:\u00a0 I parked in front of my local bookseller, Bookworks, here in Whitefish.\u00a0 They are offering curb side pickup, but I hadn’t called ahead, so I called them from out front.\u00a0 Marty picked up the call, and I simply said, “would you kindly pick out two books for me?, and I’ll take that Robert Bissell puzzle, The Kiss, too, from the window.”\u00a0 Five minutes later, I left with The Book Woman of Troublesome Creek, <\/em>and a second book,\u00a0The Braid,<\/em> listed as the May monthly choice below, and the puzzle!\u00a0 I’m so enjoying the story line of this novel – of books delivered by mule to hungry readers in the hills of Kentucky in 1936. There is so much cultural and historical significance, and a lens into a different time and life, the importance of books, and the subjugation of women, especially women of color. The Pack Horse Librarian Project was a real thing supported by the New Deal’s WPA – something I didn’t know about and was happy to learn.\u00a0 The book also explores the rare “blue people” of Appalachia – another true and real genetic phenomena that I learned about for the first time. Published 2019.<\/p>\n

Bonus Book:<\/em><\/strong> The Rules of Magic<\/em>,<\/em> Alice Hoffman Category:\u00a0 <\/strong>Missed from 2017.<\/p>\n

How many times can I say, “how can I have missed, not explored, an author?”\u00a0 And Alice Hoffman is one prolific writer who delves into themes about magic and women in a way that I enjoy.\u00a0 It’s not the writing, but the story, the themes and the characters that are wonderful to me.\u00a0 This novel has two major themes, Love More, and Be Who You Are, Always and I loved that exploration.\u00a0 Three siblings, all with powers that they embrace or don’t as life evolves.\u00a0 All three grow into adulthood journeying through tragedy, denial, hope and joy.\u00a0 As wisdom deepens and the years unfold and ripen, they individually come to the realization that they must be fully and completely who they are, their authentic and real selves, all three of them do become, who they are meant to be.\u00a0 This is a prequel to the much more well known Practical Magic<\/em> written in 1997, but was just published in 2017, ten full years later – I’m sure because readers were hungry for more.\u00a0 A great light late Spring read.<\/p>\n

May<\/strong><\/h1>\n

Monthly Choice:<\/strong> The Braid, <\/em>Laetitia Colombani<\/p>\n

The is the second book from Bookworks, on my “pick two novels for me” foray into this new normal.\u00a0 The author’s first book, I loved the weave of these three disparate women’s lives.\u00a0 They share the fact of their fierce strength, and that they face terrific challenges. All three show tremendous resolve in survival itself, and in being their authentic selves – a survival all its own.\u00a0 Smita from India in extreme poverty and the worst possible circumstance as an untouchable, Guila in Sicily, with the weight of responsibility of the family business, three generations old, about to go into ruin, and Sarah in Montreal, a prominent lawyer facing the debilitating and ostracizing effects of her new cancer diagnosis.\u00a0 What could these three possibly have in common?\u00a0 The braid is woven between them in an unexpected way; without their ever physically meeting, the connection is there.\u00a0 The stories of the three women were enough, the reminder of the threads between us on this small planet, icing on the cake.\u00a0 And in the women’s stories there is much to learn, not just about love and perseverance, but about a Sicilian business, and Hindu custom, and the more than physical effects of cancer. The spare writing took a minute for me to warm to, the author’s screenwriting background evident in the scenes she paints, but I came to love the characters she drew and the intertwining braid she created between them.\u00a0 I could definitely see this as a movie and would read more from this author.\u00a0 Published 2019.<\/p>\n

Bonus Book:<\/em><\/strong> I’m Still Here<\/em>,<\/em> Austin Channing Brown<\/p>\n

Category: <\/strong>Something to Learn From<\/p>\n

That’s no need for an explanation as to this book choice…the recent murder of George Floyd, and the list of black men and women wrongly killed by keepers of the peace in this country continues. We white people are all complicit in the history that allows these actions, this lack of accountability, this inherent racism that is built into the very fabric of our existence in our country.\u00a0 It is time (past time) to show up, to learn, to listen, to be an ally, to step in… This is one of many books and videos I will be absorbing to deepen my understanding of how we got here, and where we can go, from the voices of those whose lived experience with racism we must hear, acknowledge and work to change.\u00a0 The author was named Austin so that whites in power would mistake her for a white male – so she would have the opportunity to gain entry, to have doors open, that would routinely be closed to her.\u00a0 Her parents were realistic and proactive.\u00a0 Her voice was one of many that was recommended to me.\u00a0 Published 2013.<\/p>\n

June<\/strong><\/h1>\n

Monthly Choice:<\/strong> The Bear, <\/em>Andrew Krivak<\/p>\n

Well, of course, with that title, I had to check it out!\u00a0 And I was immediately intrigued… a post apocalyptic fable with a talking bear – ok, yes!\u00a0 Not familiar with this author, but certainly the premise and reviews are very compelling.\u00a0 Published, February, 2020.<\/p>\n

Bonus Book: <\/em><\/strong>Angle of Repose, <\/em>Wallace Stegner <\/p>\n

And again I wonder how this book hasn’t crossed my path – this writer.\u00a0 This author of the “best book ever written about the west”.\u00a0 Well, I’ll read it now, so this bonus book, unlike most all I pick for this category, is not one that I’ve yet read.\u00a0 I know it will prove to be a most worthy choice for inspired reading as summer begins.\u00a0 Published 1971.<\/p>\n

July<\/strong><\/h1>\n

Monthly Choice:<\/strong> Nature’s Silent Message<\/em>, <\/em>Scott Stillman<\/p>\n

The author’s first “little indie book” as he calls it (Wilderness, A Gateway to the Soul),<\/em> sold 20,000 copies, and I loved it.\u00a0 This is the author’s second offering, just published in April, 2020.\u00a0 He writes in the preface, “Truth exists in wild places – where the air is clean, the water pure, the land free,” and “To walk out into the wilderness and see what comes – not what comes to mind – but what comes. There’s a not-so-subtle difference.”\u00a0\u00a0 He says the real world is beyond the pavement, and I know that to be true for me. I know I will love this book as much as his first, and hope you do too.<\/p>\n

Bonus Book:<\/em><\/strong> History Will Remember When the World Stopped, <\/em>Donna Ashworth<\/p>\n

And here we are.\u00a0 In a world changed, slowed, realigned, quieter.\u00a0 These are “poems from a pandemic”.\u00a0 I wanted the perspective in flowing words and thoughts of another since I’d worn my own thoughts and feelings out. Ashworth captures our unique moment in time and gives us a reflection of a world of individuals at home, coping, thriving, grieving, doing, being.<\/p>\n

August<\/strong><\/h1>\n

Monthly Choice:<\/strong> Running Toward Mystery<\/em>, <\/em>Tenzin Priyadarshi<\/p>\n

An unconventional life told by The Venerable Tenzin Priyadarshi along with Zara Houshmand – a book about living a spiritual existence from the age of ten, a book about following your heart and instincts every single step of the way even from the very tender age of ten and that is when this adventure begins.\u00a0 I needed this book now – to be immersed completely in another culture, to explore beliefs and tenants, and to follow along as the author continues his exploration of his inner world and his spirituality.\u00a0 It was an escape into reality for me that I savored. Published 2020.<\/p>\n

Bonus Book:<\/em><\/strong> The Tao of Ordinariness<\/em>,<\/em>\u00a0 Robert J. Wicks\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Category: <\/strong>Something to Learn From <\/p>\n

Spiritual reading August continues with this gem that I found through the magazine Tricycle that Mela gifted me with for Christmas and I am so enjoying.\u00a0 Just these book recommendations alone are worth the read of the magazine, but too, there are a wealth of articles to savor.<\/p>\n

September<\/strong><\/h1>\n

Monthly Choice:<\/strong> The Book of Longings<\/em>, <\/em>Sue Monk Kidd<\/p>\n

I read about Sue Monk Kidd’s new book, and was immediately intrigued.\u00a0 The book jacket says, “Grounded in meticulous research and written with a reverential approach to Jesus’s life that focuses on his humanity. The Book of Longings<\/em> is an inspiring, unforgettable account of one woman’s bold struggle to realize the passion and potential inside her, while living in a time, place, and culture devised to silence her.”\u00a0 Monk wrote the forever memorable Secret Life of Bees<\/em> and The Invention of Wings<\/em> – both favorites, and this compelling story line is sure to be a new favorite. Published 2020.<\/p>\n

Bonus Book, Something to Learn From and be Absorbed By: <\/em><\/strong>The World That We Knew, <\/em>Alice Hoffman<\/p>\n

This year has had a wealth of favorite authors in our list, and Alice Hoffman is a new favorite of mine.\u00a0 I completely absorbed her unique and firmly powerful women in the Practical Magic series, new to me this year, then delved into this 2019 offering and it’s a treasure.\u00a0 Yes, her strong, unique and powerful women are front and center, and magic, more subtle here than in previous books but still front and center too.\u00a0 Her writing seems to have evolved in depth and complexity and I was enthralled with this book from the first page.\u00a0 This novel explores the world changed by war, the world of persecution experienced by people of Jewish faith, and the world of survival, finely told.\u00a0 Highly recommended. Published 2019, and a best seller.<\/p>\n

October<\/strong><\/h1>\n

Monthly Choice:<\/strong> The Night Watchman<\/em>, <\/em>Louise Erdrich<\/p>\n

Another favorite author with a new offering for 2020, and I couldn’t wait to read it.\u00a0 Just loved it.\u00a0 This is a novel with a story fashioned after the true life and character of the author’s Grandfather, Patrick Gourneau, chairman of the Turtle Mountain Band of Chippewa, and his steadfast struggle to end the threat of termination as a tribe as defined by the US government in the early 1950’s.\u00a0 The characters are beautifully crafted, as per usual with Erdrich.\u00a0 I fell deeply in love with them.\u00a0 And the craft of weaving together Chippewa culture, traditional knowledge, and the strength of the people into the novel was superb and compelling.\u00a0 Highly recommended.<\/p>\n

Bonus Book, Another New One Not to Be Missed Recently Published:\u00a0 <\/em><\/strong>Anxious People<\/em>, <\/em><\/strong>Fredrik Backman<\/p>\n

I fell in love with Backman’s writing first with A Man Called Ove, <\/em>then his series about a hockey loving small town and the wonderful characters in that town.\u00a0 He draws such complex memorable characters that you feel like you actually know them. This new release, published September 2020, came out as a top pick in numerous places, garnering a People<\/i> Book of the Week, Book of the Month Club selection, #1 Indie Next Pick, and Best of Fall in Good Housekeeping<\/i>, PopSugar<\/i>, The<\/i> Washington Post<\/i>, N<\/i>ew York<\/i> Post<\/i>, Shondaland, and CNN!\u00a0 He’s become a favorite writer for a lot of folks it seems, including me!<\/p>\n

November<\/strong><\/h1>\n

Monthly Choice:<\/strong>\u00a0See No Stranger, <\/em>Valarie Kaur<\/p>\n

The month of the US presidential election prompts this choice.\u00a0 Listening, understanding, using my heart filter all are absolutely needed. Revolutionary Love. Now that’s a revolution I can get behind with all of my molecules. Published 2020. Recommended by Elisheva, thank you Elle.<\/p>\n

Bonus Book: <\/em><\/strong>Two Old Women, <\/em>Velma Wallis<\/p>\n

Based on a fable of the people, this little book is a tale of survival, betrayal, and redemption, and ultimately the power, wisdom and resiliency of the elders.\u00a0 I love having it in my Native American section of my home library and loved reading it too. This is a story that the author was told by her mother that is based on an Athabascan legend out of Alaska that has been passed for generations – mothers to daughters.\u00a0 Published 1993 but timeless.<\/p>\n

December<\/strong><\/h1>\n

Monthly Choice:<\/strong> The Wisdom Codes<\/em>, <\/em>Gregg Braden<\/p>\n

December for me, and maybe for you, brings a quieter time as winter begins to unfold, even with the holidays.\u00a0 I love the more contemplative time with more darkness and fires and introspection. Braden is just such a smart man with his background in science, and a master at bringing spirituality, science and our real world lives together.\u00a0 That’s what he’s done with The Wisdom Codes<\/em> masterfully bringing the power of ancient prayers and parables to light for their relevancy to our modern times. Deepak Chopra says of him, \u201cGregg Braden is a rare blend of scientist, visionary and scholar with the ability to speak to our minds, while touching the wisdom of our hearts.\u201d\u00a0 I learn so much from him. Published 2020.<\/p>\n

Bonus Book: <\/em><\/strong>Outlander, <\/em>Diana Gabeldon
\nDecember also begins the season of big novels and multiple book series for engrossing winter reading.\u00a0 One year it was all of the Harry Potter books, another Madeline l’Engle’s library, yet another the Pillars of the Earth series by Ken Follett, another the Girl with the Dragon Tatoo series by Stieg Larsson, the Wildwood series by Colin Meloy (illustrations by Carson Ellis), Katherine Arden’s Winter of the Witch series, and one of my absolute favorites (although I loved all of these), the Carlos Ruiz Zafon’s series beginning with The Angel’s Game.\u00a0 I appreciate having a stack of books lined up so that they don’t end!\u00a0 This choice was born of having had four different friends say either “have you seen The Outlander series on TV or read the books”? After the fourth time, these folks who know me well having said “it is so in your wheelhouse!” I had to do it.\u00a0 So all four books are waiting and lined up for winter: Outlander, Dragonfly in Amber, Voyager and Drums of Autumn and now I’m learning there are four more – EIGHT for the winter! <\/span>Join me?<\/p>\n

2021<\/h1>\n

<\/p>\n

January<\/strong><\/h1>\n

Monthly Choice:<\/strong> Uncanny Valley<\/em>, Anna Wiener<\/p>\n

Starting our new year with four new writers to me.\u00a0 Anna Wiener, Jeb Loy Nichols, Matt Haig and Anna North after a string of favorite authors last year.\u00a0 I love both – the authors that are dear to me, and trying out new ones. In the review written by Mark Athitakis, that compelled me to add this book to the list, he says that this book, “ought to be read by policymakers just as closely as a set of statistics.” (LA Times).\u00a0 Ok then.\u00a0 Published 2020.<\/p>\n

Bonus Book: <\/em><\/strong>Suzanne and Gertrude<\/em>, <\/em>Jeb Loy Nichols<\/p>\n

I so loved this little novel.\u00a0 Another new author for me, Nichols says, \u201cI write because there are things I can\u2019t sing. There are ways of writing that can\u2019t be sung. I write because I watch.\u201d\u00a0 And that is exactly what the story conveys – how well Nichols’ watches.\u00a0 His talent as a musician also comes across in the sweetness of the imagery in his words, and the illustrations are his too and I just loved those too.\u00a0 Wonderful unique characters are so beautifully created for us to savor.\u00a0 Enjoy! Published 2019.<\/p>\n

February<\/strong><\/h1>\n

Monthly Choice:<\/strong> The Midnight Library<\/em>, Matt Haig<\/p>\n

The concept of The Midnight Library<\/em> was immediately intriguing… a library of green clad books, each with an alternative life you had the opportunity to live, or more accurately, are presently living in a parallel universe.\u00a0 Each tiny nuance of decision making borne out in the fabric of the present in each of your possible existences… I will check out more of this author’s writing. Published 2020.<\/p>\n

Bonus Book: <\/em><\/strong>I Don’t Want to Grow Up<\/em>, <\/em>Scott Stillman<\/p>\n

Stillman’s nature writing about the southwest moves me, so I was intrigued by this new offering as well.\u00a0 Life, Liberty and Happiness without a career – yes please. It’s his story of an unscripted life lived from the intention of living his dreams, not going down a career path, not amassing things but experiences.\u00a0 The simplicity is the beauty here.\u00a0 It’s possible to live your authentic life.\u00a0 Published 2021.<\/p>\n

March<\/strong><\/h1>\n

Monthly Choice:<\/strong> Outlawed<\/em>, Anna North<\/p>\n

A feminist western is how this novel is billed, so of course, I had to check it out!\u00a0 A band of sisters finds an existence on the fringe after being outcast and shunned, having their lives threatened by one trait that they all share, their inability to bare children – their barrenness.\u00a0 A troubling word in itself, and a reminder of the not so distant past’s relationship to women without children.\u00a0 Published 2021.<\/p>\n

Bonus Book: <\/em><\/strong>The Education of an Idealist<\/em>, <\/em>Samantha Power<\/p>\n

An absorbing story of the author’s life from immigration as a child from Ireland to the United States, to UN Ambassador, to wife and mother. The changes these experiences etched into the fabric of her life, the continual learning, the impossible choices, sometimes none of which are good but just the least bad, that are inherent in political life.\u00a0 The memoir paints a vivid picture and provides a snapshot of time in our country as well as in Power’s individual life.\u00a0 She’s a easy writer to read and I found the book engrossing and compelling. Published 2019 and winner of the Pulitzer Prize.<\/p>\n

April<\/strong><\/h1>\n

Monthly Choice:<\/strong> The Tubman Command<\/em>, Elizabeth Cobbs<\/p>\n

A historical novel, well researched, about the brave, heroic, brilliant life of Harriet Tubman. She comes to life on these pages in all her humanity and her incredible conviction and sacrifice.\u00a0 The history of our nation’s dark side of slavery is fully explored here too. The novel starts with Harriett’s memories of her older sister’s sale, and watching her ankles being chained on a random day while the master counted his money from her sale, and as she left her own mother, and her own small children behind.\u00a0 Gut wrenching and real. A must read.\u00a0 For healing to truly take place, we must acknowledge and seek forgiveness for our nation’s original sins. Published 2019.<\/p>\n

Bonus Book: <\/em><\/strong>The Guest List<\/em>, <\/em>Lucy Foley<\/p>\n

Just for fun a who-done-it mystery over a weekend weekend, on an island, off the coast of Ireland… yep, when I read wedding, island, Ireland I was all in.\u00a0 Love the wedding planner character, stoic and calm, cool and collected.\u00a0 Celebrity bride and groom with all that goes with that, isolation on the island, lots of suspense.\u00a0 Nope, you won’t guess who-done-it.\u00a0 Another new author. Published 2020.<\/p>\n

May<\/strong><\/h1>\n

Monthly Choice:<\/strong> The Vanishing Half<\/em>, Brit Bennett<\/p>\n

This novel explores how twins that are separated create their lives completely differently – one twin identifies as black and the other white.\u00a0 Looking forward to the story of their reunion in this well received story. I haven’t read this author before and looking forward to it. Published 2020<\/p>\n

Bonus Book: <\/em><\/strong>Lab Girl<\/em>, <\/em>Hope Jahren <\/p>\n

Yet another great find from the turnstile\u00a0 outside Copperleaf Chocolates where the collection of curated used books continues to add to my reading pleasure (Voyageur Booksellers inside).\u00a0 There are always classics there, but too, always books that I should have known about and read, but didn’t.\u00a0 Winner of the National Book Critics Circle Award with accolades like this one from The New York Times, “Engrossing…Thrilling… Does for botany what Oliver Sacks’s essays did for neurology, what Stephen Jay Gould’s writings did for paleontology,” I knew that was one for my library. The author is a geobiologist, who studies trees, flowers, seeds and soils having found “a sanctuary in science.” We get to enjoy the fruits of her labors here. Published 2016.\u00a0 If you’re ever in Whitefish and need a book, visit Voyageur Booksellers for sure.\u00a0 The collection of used books is amazing, and you will find the perfect one for you as I always do. And get some housemade chocolates while you’re there too!<\/p>\n

June<\/strong><\/h1>\n

Monthly Choice:<\/strong> Klara and the Sun<\/em>, Kazuo Ishiguro<\/p>\n

Artificial intelligence and the meaning of love, the new and the timeless are intertwined in this new novel by Nobel Prize winner for literature, author Ishiguro.\u00a0 The reviews describe a poignant meditation with prose that is soft… I loved that. Looking forward to this new read, by this well respected author. Published early 2021.<\/p>\n

Bonus Book (Award Winner, Great Author):\u00a0 <\/em><\/strong>March, <\/em>Geraldine Brooks
\n<\/em><\/p>\n

It took me a minute to understand that the chaplain traveling with a Union Army unit of soldiers is the March of Little Women fame – the father.\u00a0 Having played a very minor role in Little Woman I didn’t recognize him, until the mention of all four of his daughters, Amy, Beth, Jo and Meg.\u00a0 And their mom, Margaret, Marmee.\u00a0 Geraldine Brooks is the author of People of the Book,<\/em> another excellent novel, so well written, and this one is too.\u00a0 Winner of the Pulitzer Prize, and published in 2005, this is another beautiful find at Voyageur Booksellers turnstile.\u00a0 It’s a harrowing story at times of the brutality of war, and the horrific conditions of slavery, the justifications, the weighing of eradicating it at all costs.\u00a0 It’s raw in places, tender, letters home to Marmee tell some of the story.\u00a0 It is interesting what he leaves out of these letters.\u00a0 Then Marmee weights in Excellent.\u00a0 In the afterword the author reveals that the bones of the book came from her research into Louisa May Alcott’s father, Bronson Alcott.\u00a0 What a fascinating man!\u00a0 An educator, lifelong vegetarian who created an Utopian village to promote that cause called Fruitville (it failed but still – during the Civil War!), and a staunch abolitionist, his life as a foundation proved interesting and the historical references illuminating.\u00a0 He was a contemporary of Ralph Waldo Emerson and Henry David Thoreau and they were close friends, and these two luminaries make appearances in the novel as well. Highly recommended.<\/p>\n

July<\/strong><\/h1>\n

Monthly Choice:<\/strong> Whereabouts<\/em>, Jhumpa Lahiri<\/p>\n

Another well respected author back with a novel after a long absence – this is much anticipated. Published April, 2021<\/p>\n

Bonus Book (National Book Award Finalist, New Author to me):\u00a0 <\/strong><\/em>The Bird Artist, <\/em>Howard Norman <\/p>\n

I loved the writing in this book. The characters are unforgettable as is the community, the environment of Witless Bay, Newfoundland at the turn of the century.\u00a0 On the surface it’s such a simple town, with simple days strung together, but there are many complicated personalities, much intrigue and intricate underpinnings that are all explored here and too,\u00a0 relationships between couples, mothers and sons, sons and daughters, lovers and friends.\u00a0 And there are birds of every description being drawn on these pages.\u00a0 The author had me totally engrossed.\u00a0 Found on the outside turnstile at Voyageur Booksellers in Copperleaf Chocolates – again.\u00a0 I love that used book store so very much and have found such treasures there. Published 1994 and a National Book Award finalist.<\/p>\n

August<\/strong><\/h1>\n

Monthly Choice: <\/strong>Revelations,<\/em> Mary Sharratt<\/p>\n

“An ancient “Eat Pray Love” declares the publisher – well, ok, let’s give it a go – and with Julian of Norwich as a main character – definitely. Published 2021.<\/p>\n

Bonus Book (s!): <\/em><\/strong>North of the Tension Line, <\/em>J. F. Riordan <\/p>\n

I read about this book series on a book lovers site where I order too many books (can there be too many books?).\u00a0 It’s Bas Bleu, and like Voyageur, my go to local used bookseller, I find many treasures there not previously known to me.\u00a0 These books of refined and complicated characters living intertwined lives on a remote island in Wisconsin brought deep memories of living on Orcas and San Juan Islands.\u00a0 It’s the ferry life, filled with nature, quiet, the local bar, locals events, scrabbling to make a living, integrity (mostly), and making your own entertainment. I loved these books for that connection to my island life, and the writing.\u00a0 They’re quick reads, perfect to binge on read one after the other. The others in order are: The Audacity of Goats, Robert’s Rules <\/em>and A Small Earnest Question.<\/em><\/p>\n

September<\/strong><\/h1>\n

Monthly Choice: <\/strong>Of Women and Salt,<\/em> Gabriela Garcia<\/p>\n

Bonus Book:\u00a0 <\/em><\/strong>Evidence of Eternity, <\/em>Mark Anthony <\/p>\n

Mark Anthony is known as the physic lawyer – he’s a medium and a trail lawyer.\u00a0 I’ve seen him on TV, and he makes connections that seemingly are genuine.\u00a0 From the “other side”.\u00a0 I gave this book to my Mom for a birthday several years back. I have a picture of her at Lake McDonald Lodge after opening it on her birthday – she had told me she was interested in reading it.\u00a0 After her passing, I came across the book and of course, needing anything to help understand where my Mom IS, it was the perfect time to read it.\u00a0 Anthony considers himself an evidential physic, in that he requires that prior to a reading he is allowed no contact or any information about the group or the individual to be read in advance.\u00a0 This book is also interesting in that it doesn’t just have readings but also how readings and mediumship work.\u00a0 He includes how the pineal gland may be enhanced by additional crystalline structures in mediums, how he tunes into a higher frequency, how spirits communicate in images, songs and feelings. As the cover of the book states, “Combining science, theoretical physics, and theology, Mark Anthony does an amazing job of presenting evidence of an afterlife” (Dr. Raymond Moody).\u00a0 I would agree. Published 2015 (the book must have just come out when I gave it to Mom for her birthday).<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/em>October<\/strong><\/h1>\n

Monthly Choice: <\/strong>Finding <\/em>The Mother Tree, <\/em>Suzanne Simard<\/p>\n

Discovering the wisdom of the forest, this smart scientist evolved from a woodcutters sensibilities due to her family’s involvement in logging, to an author who can speak with authority and then a deep love for the trees.\u00a0 The reality of trees communication and support for each other through an intricate system of nutrient sharing, is remarkable science.\u00a0 I hope it will come to be common knowledge. Published 2021.<\/p>\n

Bonus Book: <\/em><\/strong>How To Speak for the Trees, <\/em>Diana Beresford-Kroeger<\/p>\n

The author is a brilliant, truly brilliant scientist, who has at her foundation a deep spiritual truth and learning from her early days being taught by the elders of Lisheen in Ireland.\u00a0 The elders held sacred and ancient knowledge and as an orphan in the community they believed it their duty to raise her up in knowledge and care.\u00a0 She went on the get her PhD and has done remarkable studies.\u00a0 Now she is a tree advocate, spiritualist, and scientist and that combination works beautifully well for me as a reader and learner.\u00a0 The second part of the book after she explores her young years in Ireland, her studies, and her deepening connection to trees, and after she lays out a plan for the future, she goes through the ancient Gaelic alphabet, where every letter is designated by a tree!\u00a0 Who knew?\u00a0 I learned a lot!\u00a0 Anything by this author is recommended. Her Arboretum books are encyclopedias of trees and would be loved by anyone enamored and seeking to learn more about them. Published 2017.<\/p>\n

November<\/h1>\n

Monthly Choice: <\/strong>The Paris Library<\/em>, <\/em>Janet Skeslien Charles<\/p>\n

The love of books, and the community of friends and coworkers who love books, is front and center in this novel based on real happenings around the Paris Library as it faces World War II.\u00a0 The library’s mission became the delivery of books to injured soldiers and those still fighting, to those in Paris without food or water as a diversion and as food for the soul, and to those marginalized and in danger after the Nazi occupation.\u00a0 The librarians put themselves in grave danger by doing this seemingly small task. I loved the book and the strong characters, many based on real life persons, the turmoil, pain, and the love.\u00a0 All of it.\u00a0 There is the constant solace of books, so beautifully drawn in the book, that provide comfort, intellectual sustenance and nourishment that ultimately prevails even in the very worst of times.\u00a0 And infused throughout the novel is a deep love of books that resonated with me. I didn’t know this writer but there were so many components that made this novel irresistible to me personally.\u00a0 Set in Paris and Montana (right??), and too, knowing the author also resides in both of these places, made this novel a must read having started my turn around the sun in Paris, and now making my home in northwest Montana.\u00a0 This novel is highly recommended.\u00a0 Published 2021.<\/p>\n

Bonus Book:\u00a0<\/em><\/strong> The Fountain of St James Court; or Portrait of an Artist as an Old Woman, <\/em>Sena Jeter Naslund<\/p>\n

I decided to stay in Paris with this well crafted novel from 2014 and it was engrossing and just right for a long fall evening read.\u00a0 The chapters change between the perspective of the first person narrator, a sixty-nine year old writer based in present time, and the portrait of another woman from an earlier time (1789 – 1841), that the narrator has just written a book about who is an artist. It was an interesting juxtaposition, and the writing is excellent. It proved to be one of those books that I had to put aside after reading a line because it stopped me in my tracks.\u00a0 I love that!\u00a0 Here’s one (quoting the man the present day narrator has just begun dating): ”\u00a0 Found at my used book store Voyageur.\u00a0 I continue to find so many treasures there!<\/p>\n

December<\/h1>\n

Monthly Choice:\u00a0<\/strong>The Barbizon, <\/em>Paulina Bren<\/p>\n

It was the subtitle that got me, “the hotel that set women free”.\u00a0 The Barbizon, a residential hotel, allowed women a spot to live alone and free in New York City, at a time when this wasn’t done often or easily. The hotel was built in 1927, and was designed to house the \u201cModern Woman.” Many artists and luminaries found safe haven here from Sylvia Plath to Grace Kelly, Liza Minelli, Ali McGraw, and Jacyln Smith.\u00a0 There were models and secretaries, and writers and women who carved their own way , working, some successfully, some not.\u00a0 Men were only allowed residency in 1981, previous to that, it was a women only establishment. I’m so looking forward to being carried away by this book. Published 2021.<\/p>\n

Bonus Book:\u00a0<\/em><\/strong> Dept. of Speculation, <\/em>Jenny Offill <\/p>\n

Short scenes in a life, quotes for the ages, stream of consciousness ramble, all held together by love, a deep and abiding love. The narrator’s heart is on her sleeve, her flaws and uniqueness honestly expressed, the feelings raw and palpable.\u00a0 And with that all abiding love too, there is sorrow. I enjoyed the author’s craft of story telling. In spite of its short spurts, there is a flow and a tenderness about the whole of it when read.\u00a0 Lots of accolades for this one including, “one of the ten best books of the year” by The New York Times Book Review, and “sparkling with sunlight and sorrow”, from The Boston Globe. Published 2014. Oh, and the quote that opens the book held me in its sway for a moment, “speculators on the universe…are no better than madmen” – Socrates.<\/p>\n

2022<\/h1>\n

<\/h1>\n

Monthly Choice:\u00a0<\/strong> The Book of Hope,<\/em> Jane Goodall and Douglas Abrams with Gail Hudson
\n<\/strong><\/p>\n

What better way to start the New Year then with HOPE.\u00a0 Jane Goodall as a pioneer, leader and teacher is an excellent conduit of wisdom from her perspective of years and accomplishments. Written in a question and answer interview type format, it’s inspiring and interesting.\u00a0 Interwoven with stories from her life, successes, frustrations, she shares within them where she continually finds hope even in the darkest times.\u00a0 She believes in the amazing human intellect, resilience of nature, the power of young people and the indomitable human spirit.\u00a0 She and Abrams do a nice job too of separating wishful thinking from true hope, as hope requires action.\u00a0 Learned a lot and glad to start 2022 with Goodall’s spirit and wisdom.\u00a0 Published 2021. A Christmas gift from Laura and Greg that I am very grateful for.<\/p>\n

Bonus Book:\u00a0<\/em><\/strong> Something to Learn From: <\/strong><\/em>World of Wonders, <\/em>Aimee Nezhukumatathil <\/p>\n

My niece Sarah, asked for a book selection as her Christmas gift to me, so I happily went looking through my book sites to find something that I was coveting.\u00a0 Came across this one, and so glad I did!\u00a0 Each chapter is a portrait of a wonder of nature, intertwined with very personal stories from the author’s childhood and present day life, where these wonders impacted her growing up years or impact her today very deeply.\u00a0 The stories are full of interesting facts about everything from comb jelly to peacocks, some of the wonders being familiar, and some totally new to me.\u00a0 I loved this book, thank you Sarah!\u00a0 Published 2020.<\/p>\n

February<\/h1>\n

Monthly Choice:\u00a0 <\/strong>How Lucky, <\/em>Will Leitch<\/p>\n

What a perspective!\u00a0 How can a 25-year-old with SMA (spinal muscular atrophy) be “lucky”??\u00a0 The answer is because he has the gift of life, of consciousness, of being able to help, to be helped, to contribute, to have friends and family that love him.\u00a0 The author is amazing in his ability to interweave facts and realities of this progressive and debilitating condition, with humor, raw truth, and suspense.\u00a0 Yes, suspense.\u00a0 I wondered why Stephen King has a note on the book jacket, “A fantastic novel…You are going to like this a lot”, and I certainly found out why. The main character is certainly physically challenged in his body, but not in his mind – a fact we all need to remember. That’s another piece in this novel that’s important, by residing in the character’s thoughts throughout the book, we learn how best to interact with physically challenged people – it’s not hard – just treat them as you would anyone else – and always, always speak directly to them, even if they are using a voice box or a support person to speak for them.\u00a0 Published 2021, and recommended for sure.\u00a0 A book gift from Ashley that I am most appreciative of. I wouldn’t have found it otherwise. Thank you so much Ashley! Winter reading is off to a great start.<\/p>\n

<\/em>Bonus Book:\u00a0<\/em><\/strong> The Stranger in the Woods, <\/em>Michael Finkel<\/p>\n

Two things compelled me to pick up this book, after a rare foray into our local Whitefish library, that, as it turns out, is back to regular hours, after being spotty during Covid.\u00a0 The first was that this book was a staff pick, always a consideration for me and the second was the subtitle, “the extraordinary story of the last true hermit”.\u00a0 And there was a third compelling reason too, the author is listed as living in western Montana.\u00a0 The story is a true one, of Christopher Knight, who lived alone in the Maine woods for twenty-seven years.\u00a0 That feat is almost impossible to absorb.\u00a0 The author explores Knight’s mindset as best as he can unravel it, traveling from Montana to Maine to interview him from jail after he is arrested for breaking and entering to steal food.\u00a0 He has kept authorities at bay for all of these years while making hundreds of break ins of a group camp and area cabins to sustain his need for food, shelter and clothing.\u00a0 The author also explores other hermits and recluses, and interviews psychologists to better understand the phenomena that is Chris Knight.\u00a0 I loved the book.\u00a0 The references to solitude and silence, the appeal of merging with nature and consciousness in such a complete and profound way, the study of those that don’t fit with others, or in our culture.\u00a0 There are dozens of quotes that resonated with me.\u00a0 I appreciate what the author chose to include. Published 2017.\u00a0 Knight was arrested in 2013 at the age of 47 having been in his camp in central Maine since he was 20 years old.<\/p>\n

March<\/h1>\n

Monthly Choice:\u00a0 <\/strong>The Fallen Stones<\/em>, <\/em>Diana Marcum<\/p>\n

If you don’t have awe and wonder when witnessing the miracle of a butterfly, you will after reading this book!\u00a0 But how can we not see the miracle that they are?\u00a0 Marcum does a super job of mixing science and butterfly facts, with the people, personalities, and real life stories of the butterfly farmers and benefactors from Belize and England.\u00a0 Good people all. Philosophers.\u00a0 A great quote from the book, similar to this Thomas Aquinas one, “because philosophy arises from awe, a philosopher is bound in his way to be a lover of myths and poetic fables. Poets and philosophers are alike in being big with wonder”, but more meaningful to these hard working, philosophic workers in the world of wonder that is butterfly farms, ” The blue morpho butterflies had me at hello with their iridescent blues”… Published 2022. I am working on my butterfly garden…<\/p>\n

Bonus Book<\/strong>:\u00a0<\/strong> Eleanor Oliphant is completely fine, <\/em>Gail Honeyman <\/p>\n

Ashley gifted me with this book – one I hadn’t come across. I’m so glad she did!\u00a0 Eleanor is someone you’d want to know.\u00a0 Blunt, with limited culturally acceptable social skills and no friends, a heavy vodka drinker, regimented to a fault.\u00a0 But there are reasons of course for her solitary life and all her uniquely her attributes and habits… The writing is hilarious at times, and quite sad at others.\u00a0 It is a social commentary too, on what we accept as “normal”, how easily people can be misunderstood, how often we just don’t know what anyone has been through or is going through.\u00a0 I really enjoyed this novel and will read more. This is Honeyman’s first novel and it was well received. The book jacket notes it as a Reese’s Book Club pick, and also that Reece plans on making it into a movie.\u00a0 I’ll watch!\u00a0 Published 2017 and a New York Times bestseller.<\/p>\n

April<\/h1>\n

Monthly Choice:\u00a0 <\/strong>Firekeeper’s Daughter, <\/em>Angeline Boulley<\/p>\n

A suspenseful novel, infused with Ojibwa culture, community, family and current event issues.\u00a0 The weaving together is powerful, the strength of the Native worldview the center of everything. So much of what I’ve learned in my studies of stereotypical portrayals, the survival of Native thinking and culture in the real world right now (not a historic relic), the use of Chippewa language, the circle of women, a mother’s love, a brother’s weakness are all threads in the story of n’Daunis (daughter) – her life as a hockey playing, smart, scientist about to start college. I was engrossed by the book and recommend it as good reading, but also to deepen understanding of Native Ojibwa life on and off the rez today.\u00a0 The author is an enrolled member of the Chippewa tribe of Sugar Island, Michigan where the novel is set.\u00a0 Published 2021.<\/p>\n

Bonus Book<\/strong>: Ceremony, <\/em>Leslie Marmom Silko<\/p>\n

<\/strong><\/p>\n

Another assigned novel in my Native American Literature class, and what a powerhouse it is!\u00a0 The themes are universal, timeless and profound.\u00a0 Good and evil, connections to nature, the power of story and how they define us, the disenfranchisement of Native Americans, the PTSD of war, the steadfastness of the stars.\u00a0 The importance of ceremony, the ancestors.\u00a0 Mystery.\u00a0 It is a novel woven around Tayo, a young Laguna Pueblo of mixed race who has many burdens on his heart after returning from WWII where his cousin Rocky died.\u00a0 They considered themselves brothers and he couldn’t save him. His PTSD lands him in an LA hospital where he succumbs to the “whiteness”, an unconsciousness fog, but obviously his succumbing to the “whiteness” holds much symbolism. Published 1977, I have had it in my library since then!\u00a0 Had not completed it – it was too deep and rich for me to absorb until exactly now! Highly recommended.<\/p>\n

May<\/h1>\n

Monthly Choice:\u00a0<\/strong>Love is Everything, A Year with Hadewijch of Antwerp, <\/em>Translated by Andrew Harvey,\u00a0 Forewards by Matthew Fox and Laurence Freeman<\/p>\n

A spiritual deepening May of illuminated reads about two masters of love and life, Hildegard von Bingen (the bonus book below) and this new one that is 365 poems, visions and contemplation from Hadewijch of Antwerp.\u00a0 Published 2022 this is a new offering, and the format of reading just an excerpt each day to reflect deeply on Love’s power has proven to be a lovely addition to my library.\u00a0 Andrew Harvey’s Preface says of this work, “It is my deepest hope that Love is Everything <\/em> will restore Hadewijch of Antwerp not only to her place as one of the most incandescent and inspired of all Christian mystics, male or female, but also as a universal mystic pioneer and prophet of divinization, of transfiguration-through-Love.”\u00a0 Her words from the first half of the 13th century retain their power and relevance. It has also been called a work of “sacred activism”. What a thought!<\/p>\n

Bonus Book:<\/strong> Illuminations, a novel of Hildegard vonBingen, <\/em>Mary Sharratt<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/em>Hildegard kept coming across my field with such deep and moving quotes, that I had to know more of her.\u00a0 Just a unbelievable life.\u00a0 I mean truly not believable.\u00a0 After the age of eight, she spent the next forty years walled into a church as an “anchorite”.\u00a0 I had never heard of this practice of literally sealing in young women who had committed themselves (or were forced) to a life of service to the church.\u00a0 She and her mentor who was just a few years older lived in two tiny stone cells with a narrow courtyard, with food being pushed through a little door that opened to the church.\u00a0 There she read voraciously after teaching herself to read thanks to an obliging monk, grew herbs, learned about healing, about the stars, wrote music, and deepened her connection to the feminine source.\u00a0 1157 is the year in Germany.\u00a0 Hildegard’s writings, and music remain, and records of her compelling visions that she had her entire life are retained as well. She is finally released from the cell and establishes a nunnery of her own, Rupertsberg… The things you learn by reading!! Published 2012 and found on the outside turnstile of used books at Voyageur in Copperleaf Chocolates. (I squeezed in this read between required reading for my class!)<\/p>\n

June<\/h1>\n

<\/em>Monthly Choice<\/strong>: <\/strong>Fresh Water for Flowers, <\/em>Valerie Perrin<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/em>My Mom’s 92nd birthday is June 12th. We always had such celebrations and gifts and good food… this year the longing and sadness is still profound – this first year without her here on her birthday. Getting immersed in this story helped; I became absorbed by this novel.\u00a0 It covers such deep ground around relationships, assumptions, grief and death, lost love, found life.\u00a0 The main character, Violette, is a cemetery keeper who is just one of the lost and then found characters.\u00a0 The cast at the cemetery, the garden, the house where everyone is welcome, had me wanting it to be a real place to visit and stay a while. And there is depth and such hope for healing that is expressed beautifully here. Too, there is hope along the journey through loss and grief.\u00a0 Profound and moving. I loved reading it in the week before my Mom’s birthday – her first on the other side. Published in French in 2020 and translated by. Hildegarde Serle.<\/p>\n

Bonus Book: <\/strong>The Afterlife of Billy Fingers, <\/em>Annie Kagan <\/p>\n

The subtitle is “how my bad-boy brother proved to me there’s life after death”, so with that, and the quotes posted by Kristin, I ordered it from Amazon, and read it in one day.\u00a0 The foreword is from Dr. Raymond Moody which got my attention, and then the story from the afterlife told to the author from the other side is a celestial powerhouse of possibility.\u00a0 Billy, the author’s brother, had a turbulent and troubled life.\u00a0 There was jail time and addiction, but there was spiritual learning too.\u00a0 Annie, the author, is his younger sister, who witnessed, and tried to help, through his various melt-downs.\u00a0 The perspective of the earth plane and the various realms of the existence after this one had me page turning.\u00a0 Published in 2013 but I hadn’t heard about it.\u00a0 Kristin lost her son very young so I’m aware that like me she is reading about where our most treasured ones are – where they went – are they ok.\u00a0 This is a comforting book in that regard – Billy tells his sis that not only are they very ok, but they are experiencing wonder and bliss and awesomeness of a magnitude we can’t image.\u00a0 I’m glad I read it.<\/p>\n

July<\/h1>\n

Monthly Choice: <\/strong>The Bookshop of Second Chances, <\/em>Jackie Fraser<\/p>\n

Looking for summer light novels – for deck or lake reading… and this one was such fun!\u00a0 I mean who doesn’t like second chances, at 40, after being dumped (for a “friend”), bookstores, eccentric new loves, coffee shops, little shacks, an inheritance that includes books, in a small town, in Scotland??\u00a0 It’s funny and sweet, but still poignant with the raw hurt and emotion of heartbreak.\u00a0 It’s a beautiful balance, hopeful, and funny too.\u00a0 Found in the BasBlue little book of choices that I get routinely by mail and that always compels me to order!\u00a0 This would make a sweet movie – I have so many firm visuals! And great characters… Published 2021.<\/p>\n

Bonus Book : <\/strong>Women in Sunlight, <\/em>Frances Mayes <\/p>\n

A great beach\/summer\/hammock read! Author of Under the Tuscan Sun<\/em>, Mayes’ three main characters are new friends who find a villa in a small town with wonderful neighbors, a vibrant piazza, gardens, art, gatherings, and the best descriptions of fresh sumptuous food imaginable – in Italy! All these components had me enthralled in the very first pages.\u00a0 The women are all in my wheelhouse age wise, and have all lost the men in their lives, two are deceased, and one found a younger companion.\u00a0 They go from distraught and lost to vibrant and thriving.\u00a0 They find themselves in their new normal creating connections and finding expression.\u00a0 It’s telling that the book begins with their meeting at an open house for a retirement community – something they are all considering. This seemed the safe and responsible choice, the choice supported by other friends and family.\u00a0 But no!\u00a0 They are not through living fully and vibrantly and<\/em> being fully absorbed by each day new.\u00a0 I loved this aspect of the book. They find roots and wings, friends & lovers, passions for writing, cooking, gardens, art and travel. Published 2019.\u00a0 I have to go back to Under the Tuscan Sun…<\/em><\/p>\n

August<\/h1>\n

Monthly Choice: <\/strong>Remarkably Bright Creatures, <\/em>Shelby Van Pelt<\/p>\n

I absolutely love that my beloved niece Ashley and I routinely share book recommendations now! Everything she has shared I have so enjoyed, so everything she recommends I read!\u00a0 This is the latest.\u00a0 Published 2022, a first novel by Van Pelt, and beautifully engrossing with fabulous interestingly flawed characters including a giant Pacific octopus. Now, I already love octopus after reading Soul of an Octopus<\/em> (and recommending it here on this book club), so the book had me from its first pages.\u00a0 Love how the character’s stories intertwine and how brilliant the octopus is!\u00a0 Enjoy!<\/p>\n

Bonus Book : <\/strong>Circling the Sun,<\/em> Paula McLain<\/p>\n

Beryl Markum is the heroine in this novel based on the real life of the horse trainer, pilot, feminist, independent thinker who carved her own way in 1920’s and 30’s Kenya.\u00a0 She is a remarkable woman and McLain tells her story in vivid prose that takes us to that time, into her heart and inside her mind. There is also much to learn about the elite lives of white Europeans in Kenya, how they colonized with little reflection on their impact and entitlement.\u00a0 There is a glimpse of traditional life too, as Beryl’s best friend growing up and all through her life is a tribal member who exposes her to traditional dance, song, connections to the land. McLain also wrote The Paris Wife<\/em> about Hadley Hemingway that I have qued up for this winter. Love and Ruin <\/em>is another compelling possibility by this author. Published 2012.<\/p>\n

September<\/h1>\n

Monthly Choice:\u00a0<\/strong>The Winemaker’s Daughter, <\/em>Timothy Egan<\/p>\n

Usually my monthly book choice is recently published – just kind of been my criteria. New to me, new to us. This novel by another Pulitzer Price winner, Timothy Egan, though had so many contemporary components – fire, water rights, our place in a changing world, aging parents, that it felt right for right now. Published in 2005, I hadn’t heard of this book, but know Egan’s writing. He intimately knows the Pacific Northwest.\u00a0 His characters are the truest kind – flawed, strange, awesome, lovable (mostly!). I loved this book, was so immersed in it. I hope you love it too!<\/p>\n

Bonus Book : <\/strong>The Wild Silence, <\/em>Raynor Winn <\/p>\n

I loved the title of this book, and I had just read about Winn’s book previous to this one, The Salt Path<\/em> (I will also read this one!). For some reason I chose to read this one first, and once into its 3rd\/4th chapters I could see why. I needed this book now. That’s how books come to me – in my path when I need them. I am so appreciative of this gift! This book is a memoir that explores Winn’s relationship to the land as she navigates her mother’s illness as well as her husband’s.\u00a0 The weaving together of the solace of the forest, the sea, the cliffs, with the reality of what’s before her with those she loves best is difficult yet beautiful.\u00a0 Published 2020.<\/p>\n

October<\/h1>\n

Monthly Choice:\u00a0<\/strong>Forest Walking, <\/em>Peter Wohlleben and Jane Billinghurst<\/p>\n

The forest is a wonderland of mystery to me. Healing, immersive, magic! Wohlleben wrote The Hidden Life of Trees<\/em> and that book with its gorgeous photographs is one that I go to often for learning and to absorb those beautiful images. Trees give us so much, and this book helps us to discover the trees and woodlands of North America (as the subtitle suggests). Get outside ya’ll. The understory in fall in the forest in northwest Montana is a walkers paradise of color and change. And if you haven’t looked thru Wohlleben’s The Hidden Life of Trees<\/em>, give it a go.\u00a0 Forest Walking<\/em> published 2022.<\/p>\n

Bonus Book : <\/strong>The Tenth Island, <\/em>Diana Marcum
\n<\/strong><\/p>\n

After reading journalist Marcum’s The Fallen Stones <\/em>earlier this year and learning so much about Belize and butterflies, I knew I’d want to explore this novel, “finding joy, beauty, and unexpected love in the Azores.” And I’m glad I did. I feel like I’ve visited the Azores now, and that I know the characters there, both those year round inhabitants and those that visit yearly from central California.\u00a0 Those that yearn for their homeland and reside on the 10th island and return for the sea breeze, the village bull fights, the food and friendships.\u00a0 Reading this sure makes me want to visit the Azores in person, but if I can’t I now have a sense of the beauty, joy and love found there – a place I knew nothing about previously. The beauty of reading… Published 2018.<\/p>\n

November<\/h1>\n

Monthly Choice: <\/strong>Joan<\/em>, <\/em>Katherine Chen<\/p>\n

It’s a month of reading about strong, independent, unique, feisty, smart, courageous women! What better place to start than Joan d’Arc? I knew the myth of course, but not the real woman – a girl really that would not sit back into the proscribed place in the world of her times. From an abused daughter to a leader of armies, Joan captivates, and changes the world! Published 2022.<\/p>\n

Bonus Book: <\/strong>Red Paint<\/em>, <\/em>Sasha taq’sablu LaPointe<\/p>\n

The author tells her own story, one of being unsettled and traumatized, along with the story of the strong and troubled women of her family, beginning with the woman she was named for, her great grandmother. The ties to these women are in her blood.\u00a0 Her teenage years are tumultuous and the trauma from abuse and lack of feeling at home in her body and in an actual home have not been resolved. They haunt her. She instinctively knows where her healing lies though, finding the cold and wild river, or a burning ceremony, remembering her ancestors, remembering ceremony. She studies and follows her women ancestors until she can find home and healing and move on into a fulfilling life not defined by her trauma.\u00a0 Coast Salish traditions and history after contact are important to the author’s story and to our understanding and reading. The subtitle is “the ancestral autobiography of a Coast Salish Punk” and that’s it exactly. Published 2022 and found as a recommended book at my local bookseller, Bookworks.<\/p>\n

December<\/h1>\n

Monthly Choice:\u00a0<\/strong>Solito, <\/em>Javier Zamora<\/p>\n

Let’s put aside any immigration story or individual immigrant story we may have ingested and believed and read the real and raw truth of a life lived in these circumstances. El Salvador to the United States at age 9. That is all. Isn’t that enough? Published 2022. *I have much to say about this poet’s words and journey but am choosing not to interject – your reading his words and truth are enough, and I’m hoping many many people will absorb them.<\/p>\n

Bonus Book: <\/strong>The City of Mist, <\/em>Carlos Ruiz Zafon <\/p>\n

Happiness found in a bookstore in Carmel when discovering that one of my favorite authors had a new book!\u00a0 Then sadness when I read that these stories were penned by Zafon before his passing and were meant to be published posthumously by his request. His writing! It is so absorbing. It is full of the raw intensity of real life, and a mystical, misty quality that is hard to articulate. You feel it! Zafon is wordsmith of the highest level. He takes you in to the world of mists, of Barcelona, to darkness, and to the origin stories of many of his main characters from his previous novels, all of which I’ve savored.\u00a0 His four book series is one of my all time favorites. Published 2021 and gifted to me in Carmel by my friend Elle. A wonderful present! Thank you Elle!<\/p>\n

2023<\/h1>\n

January<\/h1>\n

Monthly Choice:\u00a0<\/strong>\u00a0Demon Copperhead, <\/em>Barbara Kingsolver
\n<\/strong><\/p>\n

I love this author and was thrilled to know of a new novel published 2022, but didn’t get to it. Looking forward to starting this year’s reading with what the Washington Post dubbed, “may be the best novel of 2022” and “equal parts hilarious and heartbreaking, this is the story of an irrepressible boy nobody wants, but readers will love.” And Barbara Kingsolver knows how to tell a story! Published 2022.<\/p>\n

Bonus Book: <\/strong>A Book of Days, <\/em>Patti Smith
\n<\/em><\/p>\n

What a glorious book gifted to me by my glorious friend Gloria! We both love Patti Smith, and she knew I’d love it and I do! It’s a diary of sorts with a short contemplation or quote from her day, and a photo too – usually a Polaroid – her creative image container of choice. Smith has used her 250 Land Camera to capture her life since 1996. She inspires me! Her need to create, her active and inquisitive mind, her nonconformity, her artistry, her embrace of life’s movement and wonder, her attentiveness. All attributes I value, and aspire to. I read a passage a day, along with the accompanying quote, absorb them, then anticipate tomorrow’s. Then I get to work on my own photos, quotes and writing. Yes, inspiring! Thank you Gloria! Thank you Patti! Published 2022.<\/p>\n

February<\/h1>\n

Monthly Choice:\u00a0<\/strong> Ways of Being,<\/em> James Bridle
\n<\/strong><\/p>\n

The author’s subtitle, “Animals, Plants, Machines: The Search for a Planetary Intelligence” had me riveted immediately, and then Jane Goodall’s praise on the back jacket, “James Bridle encourages you to widen the boundaries of your understanding the contemplate the innate intelligence that animates the life force of octopuses and honeybees as well as apes and elephants…be prepared to reevaluate your relationship with the amazing life-forms with whom we share the planet.” YES!\u00a0 My studies of Indigenous Knowledge have brought this kind of innovative yet ancient thinking that may just save our planet, and widening my perspective is always a priority! I’ve just started it, and it is brilliant. As Alexandra Kleeman says of the book, “James Bridle’s view of the mind, embedded in a more thoughtful world, is a revelation.” Published 2022.<\/p>\n

Bonus Book: <\/strong>Sand Talk, <\/em>Tyson Yunkaporta<\/p>\n

Again the subtitle compelled me, “How Indigenous Thinking Can Save the World.” I’m reading a lot in this genre for papers I’m writing, but more importantly, I’m so very appreciative for the true learning and broadening of perspective that is possible with a book like this. I think this author is visionary. And his thoughts and worldview can change you (they did me!) if you’re open to it. It’s the kind of book that you need to read in small snippets, and then put down and ponder. Do a little sand talk of your own! Published 2020 and highly recommended.<\/p>\n

March<\/h1>\n

Monthly Choice:\u00a0<\/strong> Unfollowers,<\/em> Leigh Ann Ruggiero<\/p>\n

It’s a beautiful thing how books come to me – to all of us likely, but I can only speak for my experience with them. They arrive, they are mentioned, they drop at my feet… They are such a gifts that invade my field by serendipitous means at just the right time. Insistent. In the case of Unfollowers,\u00a0<\/em>the unexpected find was because a classmate of mine in my Law & Policy in Native American Law<\/em> (I know, yikes, it’s required for my Certificate!) class wrote it!! What I found was a novel elegantly crafted, with such profound juxtapositions of worldviews between Africa and white America, spirituality and evangelicalism with the underlying foundation of the everlasting effect of childhood trauma. Intertwined lives that feel like destiny. Friendships. Heartbreak. Characters that live off of the page. As all good books too, this one has stayed with me. It is subtle but quite powerful, a page turner in its own quite way. The author won the Juniper Prize for fiction, and I hope this will be the first of many awards and future works. I truly enjoyed the writing, the story, the characters and the explorations offered here and I know you will too. Published 2022.<\/p>\n

Bonus Book: <\/strong>Women of Light, <\/em>Kali Fajardo-Anstine<\/p>\n

Strong women, holding their heritage and traditions, fearlessly… the woman of light has the gift of sight and premonition, and a strength born of the women who proceeded her.\u00a0 It’s a period piece of Denver history too, where racism is pronounced and endured daily. Our Hispanic sisters have suffered deeply from European colonizer racism, overcoming great odds just to survive, and prosper, and be absolutely authentic to who they are. The author was a National Book Award Finalist for Sabrina & Corina<\/em> – I’ll read that too! Published 2022.<\/p>\n

April<\/h1>\n

Monthly Choice: <\/strong>Olga Dies Dreaming, <\/em>Xochitl Gonzalez
\n<\/em><\/p>\n

For my wedding planner and event professional friends, a must read! This is pure entertainment with elements that we all will recognize – the minutiae of wedding details (napkins!) start the book, and had me from the first pages. So recognizable. Laugh out loud funny. Our wedding planner main character is mightily flawed. Aren’t we all? I’d never find a creative way to keep a client’s property though! A really fun read as our Spring unfolds into wedding season. Published 2021.<\/p>\n

Bonus Book:\u00a0<\/strong>Everyone Knows Your Mother is a Witch,<\/em> River Galchen<\/p>\n

Came across this find at my local bookseller, Bookworks, as a staff pick. These picks always intrigue me as those staff members are well read folks! \u00a0The author has received many writing accolades including the William Saroyan International Prize for Writing and a Rona Jeffe Foundation Writer’s Award, and she writes regularly for the\u00a0New Yorker.\u00a0<\/em>Two previous books were\u00a0New York Times<\/em> Best Books of the Year. And I’ve got to include this: she also is an MD! I mean geez. Her intelligence and story telling are immediately evident as savored the opening chapters of this book. Hope you like it as much as I did! Published 2021.<\/p>\n

May<\/h1>\n

Monthly Choice<\/strong>:<\/strong><\/em> The Covenant of Water,\u00a0<\/em>Abraham Verghes<\/p>\n

Cutting for Stone<\/em> was an immersive read that I thoroughly enjoyed, so this new novel by Verghes is an easy choice for this month’s book choice. It took a decade for the author to craft this book after his first offering that I enjoyed so much. The author is a professor of medicine at Stanford University and it boggles the mind that his talent allowed him to write this novel covering 77 years while fulfilling his Stanford duties. Oprah says this novel is one of the best she’s ever read, (ever read !!)<\/strong><\/em> certainly an impressive accolade that made an impression. Looking forward to going on this ride, with the novel’s impressive recommendations, I’m ready to lose myself in its 715 pages.. Published 2023.<\/p>\n

Bonus Book<\/strong>: The Soul of a<\/em> Woman, Isabel Allende<\/p>\n

I have loved Allende’s novels (The House of the Spirits!), <\/em>so was intrigued to delve deeper into the author herself with this book I found as an employee reader choice at Bookworks (I love buying locally and these recommendations are always good ones for me). She writes of being a feminist before there was any kind of wave in that direction in Chile, and as it was just forming in Europe and the US, of motherhood, of inner evolution through the years. I loved her transparency, recognition of the universal themes of being a woman in our times, and those places where she is completely and absolutely unique in her selfhood. Every life has such a rich story, and when a talented storyteller is telling the story it is absorbing. Loved the tag line too, “on impatient love, long life, and good witches.” Published 2021.<\/p>\n

June<\/h1>\n

Monthly Choice<\/strong>: <\/strong><\/em>Through the Wilderness, <\/em>Brad Orsted<\/p>\n

Yellowstone! Mountain lions & grizzly bears! There is so much intimate knowledge of the bears, lions, Chico Hot Springs, and Doug Peacock, giving the book the aura of the familiar. But the book is about nature’s power to heal after unspeakable tragedy.\u00a0 Nature’s embrace, her acceptance and her insistent demand of complete attention, and of being fully present brings healing over time. Much time.\u00a0 Brad’s journey is a harrowing one, and his writing of his true story is openly raw and heartbreaking, and finally uplifting with hope and transcendence. I was with him on his treks through this landscape that I know, but that he alone is completely immersed in, and that’s what it took for nature to do her healing work. Orsted is a good writer and he unflinchingly unmasks himself in the pages as he traverses this most difficult of journeys. He finds the pervading love, healing, and embrace that his heart craves and that he must have to go on with life, while holding his daughter’s loss with him through each day. Published 2023.<\/p>\n

Bonus Book:\u00a0<\/strong>The Book of Air and Shadows,\u00a0<\/em>Michael Gruber<\/p>\n

Another new author for me, and I am in love with his writing. The story line and focus are right in my love zone too. The book cover includes a review by the\u00a0Washington Post<\/em> that says, “If you love books, make room on your shelf. Smart, packed with excitement and fascinating details about rare manuscripts and ancient and modern cryptography.” Yep, so many intriguing components put together in a gripping story with well researched real info on intellectual property, ancient manuscripts and the business and love of books. This was a\u00a0New York Times<\/em> bestseller but I missed it in 2007 when it was published. \u00a0Gruber is another very smart writer holding a PhD in marine sciences and previously was a policy analyst and speechwriter for the EPA. \u00a0Other books include:\u00a0Night of the Jaguar, Tropic of Night\u00a0<\/em>and Valley of Bones,<\/em> and I’d like to read them all.<\/p>\n

July<\/h1>\n

\nMonthly Choice<\/strong>:\u00a0<\/strong>The Invisible Hour,<\/em> Alice Hoffman
\n<\/em><\/p>\n

Brand new novel by one of my favorite authors. I pre-ordered it, received it just days after publication and read it in two days. The mystical and magical are intertwined as I’ve come to love in her novels in ethereal ways. There is time travel and a glimpse of The Scarlet Letter\u00a0<\/em>that underlies the story line, along with the life of Nathaniel Hawthorne interwoven as well. In this novel, it’s birds of all kinds and water that are prevalent themes too, especially sparrows… And most importantly to the novel, the power of words on paper, the freedom they can bring, the transformation, the impact to a life even a hundred and fifty years after they were formed. I loved that aspect of the book immeasurably. We cannot forget the privilege that reading as we chose is, and the way reading can transform us, give us hope. As Kristin Hannah says in her sparkling review, “A fantastic mystical journey that celebrates the joy and power of reading and dares to believe the impossible.” All true.\u00a0 Published 2023. *And note to self, reread The Scarlet Letter<\/em>!<\/p>\n

Bonus Book:\u00a0<\/strong>The Dovekeepers,\u00a0<\/em>Alice Hoffman <\/p>\n

This is a harrowing read based on real life events in Israel where Rome was singularly focused on eradicating any resistance to their rule and supreme authority over all expressions of life. Masala was the stronghold of Jewish refugees who would not succumb to slavery and domination, a place were traditions and cultural expressions lived on. In 73 CE the Romans bring the last siege, and the novel covers the year just previous to this event. Alice Hoffman amazes me with her storytelling – every novel different from the last (exceptions are her magic series where the characters and their predecessors and heirs continue through time). But there are pure Hoffman inclusions too, the strength of woman, their sisterhood, and their foundational importance to community, to family, and to that culture and tradition. This story and these characters will stay with me. This is a story that had to be told, and Alice Hoffman was up to the task. Published 2012.<\/p>\n

August<\/h1>\n

Monthly Choice<\/strong>:\u00a0 <\/strong><\/em>Crow Mary, <\/em>Kathleen Grissom<\/p>\n

This novel is based on the true story of an incredibly strong and resilient woman in the late 1800’s in Montana and Alberta.\u00a0 Her handsome young warrior is killed while hunting buffalo, and her fifteen year old heart is broken to bits. She takes the marriage proposal of a fur trader, a white man, and they join a Metis tribe that serves as a transition time for Mary. She wears her Crow heritage with pride and strength throughout her life, and this stroy, her story, she maintains traditions and culture, sometimes defiantly. She is an excellent horsewoman and markswoman with a rifle and pistol, and that comes in force during a daring rescue she executes. What a remarkable woman, and I acknowledge how important it is that her story is remembered and will continue to be. The author is white, but she has permission from Crow Mary’s great great granddaughter for this project and she did excellent research. A well done historical novel that helps with the understanding of Crow and Metis culture and tradition. Published 2023.<\/p>\n

Bonus Book:\u00a0<\/strong>The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian,<\/em> Sherman Alexie, Art by Ellen Forney <\/p>\n

I’ve finished up my last class in the Certificate in Native American Studies, but having been so immersed in all things Native American,\u00a0 I feel the need to continue reading, understanding, and using the learning to help in any way with moving forward agendas for self-determination, self government and preserving and protecting sacred land, language, culture and traditions of our Native Nations. This is a book I’ve had in my home library for years, published 2007. And now, inexpicably it is included in many banned book list. I respect Sherman Alexies’s perspective, humor and ability to express truths. My site isn’t for political commentary, but suffice it to say, the inclusion of this book on any banned list is another reason for this month’s choice as a bonus book. Published 2007.<\/p>\n

September<\/h1>\n

Monthly Choice<\/strong>:\u00a0<\/strong><\/em>Wonder, <\/em>R. J. Palacio<\/p>\n

Back to school calls for a reminder that compassion must reign.\u00a0 This “meditation on kindness” is indeed a call to kindness for the different yet extraordinary among us. The book is written in the first person by the central character, Auggie, a middle schooler who in addition to dealing with the normal angst of that time of life, must navigate the differentness that defines every moment of his life. In his words, “I won’t describe what I look like. Whatever you’re thinking, it’s probably worse.”\u00a0 Yet, of course, inside he’s just a normal boy who happens to be very smart and funny and fun.\u00a0 These attributes too often are \u00a0overshadowed by the immediate and preliminary reaction to his face.\u00a0 His friends step up, his family is always there for him, and the principle has his best outcome in his heart, so with that foundational support, and Auggie’s indomitable will, the novel does evolve into a kindness meditation.\u00a0 This book was recommended by my niece Ashley, and as I’ve said before, I always read her recommended books! I know she is raising her daughters to always show the compassion and kindness demonstrated in the book by Jack, Auggie’s closest friend. Published 2023.<\/span><\/p>\n

Bonus Book:\u00a0<\/strong>The Glass Castle, <\/i>Jeannette Walls <\/p>\n

This book was recommended by my good friend Gloria. I do love to read recommended books by good readers and I’m glad I read this one.\u00a0This memoir won several awards and was a NY Times notable book and is an impactful story that has stayed with me. It has so many saddnesses and I felt the author working through them with her writing about very difficult moments and years. \u00a0It’s a hard read sometimes… but Walls’ resiliency prevails. The choices her parents make during child raising years, and continue to make as Jeannette makes her life a success in the world as a journalist and novelist, are at times impossible to absorb. I mean, if you think your<\/em> family is dysfunctional! \u00a0This dysfunctional family is created by a parenting style that refused to compromise in any way from the parent’s extremely unique and unwavering perspective of living in our world. I vasilated at times from respecting the parents absolute steadfast commitment to their strange ways and being so sad for the impact these choices had on their offspring. But all the children raised in that environment come through it and are doing well in the world and are mentally and emotionally sound, even as their parents continue to battle homelessness and continued hardships. Published 2005.<\/p>\n

October<\/h1>\n

Monthly Choice:\u00a0<\/strong>Untamed,\u00a0<\/em>Glennon Doyle<\/p>\n

This book! The type of book that I had to put aside periodically to absorb the words I just read, either in recognition, admiration, or revelation. Glennon is brave here. Startling sometimes. Raw. Real. She had the guts to reinvent herself at age 40, reestablish her family with different rules, reestablish herself with the guidance of her own soul. As she tells her own unique individual story, she writes a sort of manifesto for women\u2019s voices, rights, equality. Her young kindergartner, Tish, is me at that age, is me now, as she laments the polar bear\u2019s plight. Her heart aches and she can\u2019t let it go. And her mother, Glennon, finally has an epiphany as she\u2019s about to tear her hair out if she hears about the polar bears one more time: \u201cThen I looked down at my baby and thought, \u2018Ah, you are not crazy to be heartbroken over the polar bears; the rest of us are crazy not to be.\u201d I wrote in my daily journal that day after reading that sentence, \u201cThose moments when you\u2019ve been just exactly there, and felt alone in the experience, and then read someone sharing it, even a tiny little girl, bring such a wave\u2026\u201d Sarah gifted me with this book for no occasion other than she knew that I\u2019d like it. And I sure did. Very appreciative. I loved it. Published 2020.<\/p>\n

November<\/h1>\n

Monthly Choice:\u00a0<\/strong>I’m Not a Mourning Person, <\/i>Kris Carr<\/p>\n

I’ve followed Kris Carr’s personal journey for a long time, amazed by her resiliency and positivity through an ongoing health crisis. Her cookbooks, self improvement blogs and books have consistently been mainstream. So this book was a departure – dealing with deep grief and the falling apart that comes with it.\u00a0 Her grief was the result of losing her father, her rock and mainstay. And, of course, we all have our own deep griefs… I bought the book when it first came out not knowing that deep grief of the sorrows of the world would hit on Oct. 7th with the terrorist attack by Hamas on Israel.\u00a0 How humans can be brutally barbaric to other humans at this point in our evolution is baffling and heartbreaking to me. Shattering.\u00a0 I gifted the book to my good friend E who is suffering mightiy with what I recongized as grief after the attacks. It’s personal and she needs so desparately to feel seen and acknowledged.\u00a0 So back to the book. Carr deals with just these aspects of grief – how the world can go on unaffected while your own personal world is shattered and broken. Reading her words you feel her pain mirroring your own, and somehow it’s not such a lonely journey. It helped me, and I hope it helped E.\u00a0 Grief indeed is messy and overwhelming. It’s a journey and it is reassuring to read of another human’s walk to the other side with healing and hope, while holding the hole in her heart, in our universal hearts, for all that has been lost, for all the precious souls that have been lost. Published 2023.<\/p>\n

December<\/h1>\n

Monthly Choice:\u00a0<\/strong>Heart to Heart, A Conversation on Love and Hope for our Precious Planet, <\/em>His\u00a0Holiness the Dalai Lama and Patrick McDonnell<\/p>\n

This is such a sweet book, and such a sweet gift from my friend Gloria for Christmas. I had to experience it right away. The drawings are lovely, and they tell the story as much as the words do. Yet, the words are quite poignant, and speak to our foundational connection to our planet – the Mother Earth and all her wild creatures. And our responsibiility to them all as human creatures coexisting with them, and as their stewards. So many quotes that have remained in my heart. Yes, heart to heart, the Dalai Lama can speak directly, as the animals and the earth do to me . If a panda bear knocked at the Dalai Lama\u2019s door what would transpire? That\u2019s the wonderful story of love, connection and of a shared existence on this magnificent planet that we all call home. “Real change in the world will only come with a change of heart.” \u00a0Loved this little book and will reread it often. Published 2023.<\/p>\n

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Sapphire Girls Book Club Archives, 2014 – 2023 2014 January Monthly Choice: \u00a0The Signature of All Things, Elizabeth Gilbert We must\u00a0dive into this book! \u00a0This is Elizabeth Gilbert’s new work, a novel.\u00a0She had us at hello with Eat, Pray, Love, didn\u2019t she? – what was it about that book?\u00a0 Was it that we wanted to … Continue reading Book Club Archives 2014 – 2023<\/span> →<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":1822,"parent":497,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":{"footnotes":""},"class_list":["post-527","page","type-page","status-publish","has-post-thumbnail","hentry"],"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/sweetbreathing.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/527","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/sweetbreathing.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/sweetbreathing.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/page"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sweetbreathing.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sweetbreathing.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=527"}],"version-history":[{"count":77,"href":"https:\/\/sweetbreathing.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/527\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":10863,"href":"https:\/\/sweetbreathing.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/527\/revisions\/10863"}],"up":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sweetbreathing.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/497"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sweetbreathing.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/1822"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/sweetbreathing.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=527"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}