How did I get so lucky? I’m on a roll of great books — one solid novel after another. This never happens. If you’ve ever experienced a long slog of tepid reading you understand my rapture.
But, really, it almost didn’t happen. Because age, time, and irritability have made me impatient, I nearly tossed these good books aside. They were moving too slow, too fast, too complicated, too cute. Or, more likely, I was restless and dissatisfied with something beyond the book.
My usual rule is to stop reading and move on; life is too short for less than stellar books, right?
Not so fast, Frances. I’m learning the best books — like people — sometimes take time to unfurl. Let this be a lesson to me, and maybe you, snap reactions are often misleading: the chatty neighbor may become your best friend and that cranky co-worker could be the sarcastic sidekick your life needs.
BOOKS
Anxious People by Fredrick Backman
I rarely hate a book but this one turned me grumbly. I threw it down, then remembered my friend loved this book and because I appreciate my friend’s (more refined) literary sense, I tried again — and loved it. It’s equal parts comedy, relationship drama, and locked-room mystery. On the first page, Backman writes, “This is a book about a lot of things, but mostly about idiots.”
Migrations by Charlotte McConaghy
This was a very slow start with, what seemed to me, excruciating detailed descriptions of nature. Uggh. But that overly observant beginning turned into a brilliant novel of beautiful ache.
The Fortunate Ones by Ed Tarkington
Does the world need another coming-of-age novel? I hesitated to dive in, but this one is really worth the swim. It’s a page-turner with vivid characters and wry observations on wealth and its divide, with lines like this: “The sisters were striking, in the way people with breeding can be.”
MOVIES
Just as I tend to too-swiftly ditch a good book, I’ve been quick to pass on movies that linger in my Watchlist but never get watched. Don’t be me, view these gems now!
Driving While Black
A documentary exploring how the advent of the automobile brought new mobility and freedom for African Americans but also exposure to discrimination and deadly violence, and how that history resonates today. This is powerful & essential viewing. On Amazon and PBS.
Pride
This sat in the Watchlist for six months before I watched it, and loved it, and wondered why I didn't watch it sooner. Based on a true story, this 2014 film is an inspirational and feel-good movie about an unusual but extraordinary slice of history involving the solidarity of two unlikely groups: gays and lesbians in London lending their support to striking coal miners during the Margaret Thatcher reign in 1984. On Amazon Prime.
The world turns on words, please read & write.
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