The temperatures are falling, the daylight hours shrinking. Time to gather reading material for fall.
The Secret Diary of Hendrik Green, 83 1/4 Years Old
A resident of a nursing home chronicles daily life in Amsterdam. The author, Peter De Smet, was not credited on the book adding to the sense this is truly Hendrik's diary. Characters are presented with humor and sympathy that evokes compassion in the reader.
Packing My Library
An Elegy and Ten Digressions
This is one of the books sent as part of the Year of Reading program at Shakespeare and Company bookstore in Paris. Alberto Manguel wrote this book as he reflected on the process of packing up and whittling down his 35,000 volume library while preparing to move to a new continent.
Being Mortal
Medicine and What Matters in the End
My friend, a doctor, has just come through a year of loss. She recommended this book to me after finding it personally moving.
A Walk Through Paris
A Radical Exploration
I picked up this book at the wonderful Commonplace Books the last time I was in Oklahoma City. A mix of history and geography of Paris, the chapters are dotted with vintage photographs and hand-drawn maps.
Exit West
Another selection sent through the Year of Reading program, this book has been labeled "an instant classic". It was released in 2017, and Barack Obama featured it on his books of the year list.
Maid
Hard Work, Low Pay, and a Mother's Will to Survive
My younger daughter loaned me this book. She mentioned it every time we talked while she was reading it. The book takes an honest look at the working poor in America.
My next six books.
I would love to browse this collection!! I'd really love to read "Packing my Library," as I've had to do that a few times. When my children and I downsized from a 4 bedroom house to a 3 bedroom apartment half the size, we had to donate close to 500 books from our collaborative collection as we needed some of the bookshelf space for actual storage. It was an excruciating task as a lot of the books I keep were linked to life events I went through and I wasn't mentally ready to part with them.
ReplyDeleteIt sounds like you read like I do. The mere mention of a title can take me back to the time and place when I read the book. Giving up my favorites I think would cause me physical pain. I can't believe you had to choose 500 to part with!
DeleteSo many books, so little time! You've got a good looking line up here!
ReplyDeleteMy problem is for every book I finish I seem to discover two more I want to read!
DeleteAll of those books sound interesting and worth a read. I would add some of them to my list, but honestly, I'm such a slow reader it takes me forever to get through what I already have. I am trying to make a point to read a chapter in at least ONE book every night, though, because I'm ready to book blog again!
ReplyDeleteKim
My habit is to read before falling asleep. It really helps me transition from the crazy pace of the day to a state of relaxation. Once you start that habit of one to two chapters per night, you can make your way through quite a few books before you know it. Still, I can't remember a time when I have ever gotten to the bottom of my "want to read" stack!
DeleteLooks like you have a few hours worth of reading ahead of you... enjoy!
ReplyDeleteReading helps me let go of the day. It is a necessary part of my routine these days.
DeleteI have more of a "browse" stack than anything else, never having enough free time to sit down and lose myself in a book. The guilt will set in with my own writing, or other tasks, and I can never justify hiding in some corner to read something new or...an old favorite.
ReplyDeleteBut, "Being Mortal" caught my eye and I will try and read it once the first big snowstorm hits where I live and I can escape life's realities for an entire afternoon of not having to work!
One can hope!
It will be a good book for a day like that. I am reading it currently and find myself drifting away in reflection quite a lot.
Delete