Quick Picks July 2020

A mix of recommendations—novels and non-fiction, adults and kids.  

Here are my most recent reads that I enjoyed.

End of Octobery by Lawrence Wright: This book, about a pandemic, had me captivated from page one! There were many parallels to the COVID-19 events: empty grocery store shelves, closed borders, etc.  It's a well-researched, gripping novel that chilled me when it took a much more ominous turn! 

What pandemic books have you read lately?

The Learning Tree by Gordon Parks:  In light of the #Black Lives Matter protests, I decided to go back to my classics reading list from high school. This is a coming-of-age story  of a twelve-year-old black boy in Kansas during the mid-1920s as he navigates his way through school, family, friendships, love, a bully, and racism.  Sadly, the semi-autobiographical novel, is still relevant today because almost 60 years after it was published in 1963, many of the same undertones and struggles still exist.  

I thought this was an excellent book. Besides the obvious racism Newt faced every day, he grappled with his moral compass and just being a teenager with the many incidents that occurred in his life. There was non-stop action from the beginning to the end.  Very engaging read. 

“There ain’t no white man in the world who knows, really knows, how a black man feels—"

Gordon Parks, The Learning Tree (USA: Fawcett Crest Books, a unit of CBS Publications, 1963), 106.

Gordon Parks was not only an author, he was also a photographer for Life magazine, an accomplished composer and director of the 1971 movie Shaft.

Optic Nerve by Maria Gainza: A  noteworthy book for anyone who’s interested in art.  It mixes personal stories with connections to famous art. I’m just wondering if those personal stories have any truth to them at all since it’s called “auto-fiction.” The information about the artists seems to ring true from the little I know.  

I enjoyed learning more about most of the painters.  A few were new to me; some I was already familiar with; others I had heard of but never bothered to look up like Tsuguharu Foujita—wow!  Check out one of his self-portraits. Looks like a Japanese Hitler wearing Harry Potter glasses—quite distinct.   I did like Maria's smart and reflective writing style but am glad the book wasn’t any longer than 193 pages. For anyone truly fascinated by the art world who’s ready to look up all the artists and paintings she describes, this book is for you!

Tequila Mockingbird by Tim Federle:  How did I spend my time in quarantine?—learning to mix some new drinks!  This was much easier than trying to make my own sourdough (still working on that). But this cocktail book not only mixes up good drinks, it also very entertaining!  It had me laughing out loud with each recipe and that’s before I even started sampling the mixed spirits.  It’s a witty, pun-filled book packed with single drink recipes like “One Flew Over the Cosmo’s Nest.” The “Bevvies for Book Clubs” chapter serves up fun by the pitcher. “Gone with the Wine,” for example, makes enough for a party of six. Non-alcoholic drinks can be found in the “Refreshments for Recovering Readers” section offering tame sips of “Pear the Wild Things Are” among others.  There’s even a “Bar Bites for Book Hounds” part with tempting snickie snackies like “Olives ‘n’ Twist.”  What a hoot! Any lover of classics and cocktails will raise their glass in a toast to this novel, easily digestible tribute to great literature and libations.  Cheers to that!

  

Echo Mountain by Lauren Wolk: What a wonderful book about resilience and hope.  A 12-year-old girl must deal not only with the hardships of the Great Depression, but also with the fact that her father has been in a terrible accident. Soon a mysterious dog leads her to someone else who needs her help, someone who inspires her to use the natural world around her to bring hope and healing to the people who have carved a spot in her heart.  This book is a celebration of life through nature and a spunky heroine named Ellie. (Recommended for ages 10 and up, Grades 5 and up.)