What is it about summertime that makes us search diligently for good books to add to our reading lists? This post is not about Winston-Salem history, exactly. But it is about some of the books I read recently. And the local tie-in is that I checked them all out (mostly) from the Forsyth County Public Library.
I love to hear about books from people who have actually read the book and can tell me a little about it. Then, if it sounds interesting, I will try to locate the book. I start looking for the book at the library. The Forsyth County Public Library has many branches, so if the book was not purchased at Central Library, it might be in the library system and I can request the book. When it is available, I receive a text and pick it up at my designated location. Forsyth County is also a member of the North Carolina Cardinal consortium which means that with a Forsyth County Public Library card, we have access to the holdings of other libraries in the consortium. It includes libraries all over North Carolina. One book that I requested recently came from a library in Clarkton, and it was the only location that owned the book.
Here are a few of the books that I read recently, with just a little description. Treat yourself to good reads this summer!
Amy Meyerson’s first published novel, The Bookshop of Yesterdays, is engaging from the beginning. It’s all about the love of an independent bookstore and what it has meant to so many over the years. It is also about the future of this independent bookstore and the lives of the people who love it and want it to prosper. Literary references abound in this novel, there’s an involved scavenger hunt, and a family mystery adds to the intrigue.
J. D. Vance, author of Hillbilly Elegy; A Memoir of a Family and Culture in Crisis, writes about his family and his life in this book. His family moved from Appalachia to Ohio to find a better life, to escape the poverty that defined generations of his forefathers. But even in a new location, the abuse, poverty, alcoholism, and trauma found them and marked them. We see the culture of middle class life, the colorful and heroic characters, and the saving of a young man who forged a future for himself. A movie based on this book, directed by Ron Howard, is in the works.
Beverly Lewis has written many books on the Amish people, and The Tinderbox is her latest novel. Lewis lived in Lancaster County, the setting for many of her books, and some of her relatives were of Amish and Mennonite heritage. Her books are fictionalized, but with the plausible traditions and actions of the people who are featured in her books. The Tinderbox is a story of an Amish family that experiences great upheaval when a man’s secret is made public, causing his family and the community to question everything about the man and his life.
Admiral William H. McRaven had a long Naval career which included Navy Seal training. In 2014, Admiral McRaven addressed the graduating class at the University of Texas at Austin. In his speech, Admiral McRaven shared ten principles that he learned during Naval Seal training that helped him during the training, during his Naval career, and throughout his life. The book, Make Your Bed; Little Things That Can Change Your Life…and Maybe the World, is a compilation of these principals along with many of his experiences and those of others who dealt with hardship and made tough decisions.
I thought I knew all books that related to Anne of Green Gables. Then a friend told me about Before Green Gables; The Prequel to Anne of Green Gables, and loaned me her copy of the book to read. The author, Budge Wilson, knows Anne of Green Gables. She knows her story, all of the little inferences that are found in the many books and stories that Lucy Maud Montgomery wrote about the red-headed orphan girl who came to Green Gables. The book begins before Anne is born and continues the story to the point where Anne arrives at Green Gables. Between these events, we learn about Anne’s childhood, her parents, other people she meets, her yearning for learning, her imagination and imaginary friends, her longing for pretty things, why she knows so much about babies and twins, and why she longs for a home and family. If you were ever curious about Anne’s life before Green Gables, you’ll love this book. Note: The FCPL also has copies.
This is the second in a three-book series, the Broken Road trilogy. But when I picked up The Forgotten Road from the new book shelf, I wasn’t aware that there was a book written to precede this book. It actually didn’t matter because the book stands on its own. But I may go back and read the first book, The Broken Road, just to set the stage more fully. Charles James has an unusual opportunity to choose where he will go and what he will do, now that the world thinks he is dead. He can truly start over, except that he has a lot of baggage from his life and the choices that he made over the years. So, he begins a trek on Route 66, from Chicago to Santa Monica. We travel with him, stopping at vintage cafes, motels, tourist stops, and experience the joys and hardships of seeing the country, one footstep at a time. The third book in the series, The Road Home, was just published in May 2019.
What I just finished reading:
Sunset Beach. By Mary Kay Andrews. This is a fast-paced book that is billed as a great “beach read.” While the book is based at the beach, the book’s characters don’t just sit in lounge chairs. The characters are involved in real life drama and mystery, with a little romance thrown in just for balance. It’s a thick book, guaranteed to last through a nice, long vacation.
What I’m reading now:
Jesus is Risen; Paul and the Early Church. By David Limbaugh.
Nanaville; Adventures in Grandparenting. By Anna Quindlen.
Do you have books to recommend? I’d love to hear your suggestions.
Stay tuned for the next historical post on June 8th: North Carolina Collection Display on Union Station.
