Even in the darkness of Winter, Old Man Moon reminds us that light will follow the darkness.
When I hibernate, just like the bears, the bees, and box turtles, I read. It is quiet and warm and my mind can go many new places. The Top Ten this year will be 10 of the best books I have read this year. I have been lucky choosing favorites of the librarians at Eola Road Branch. I am partial to biographies and historical fiction because I like the facts being correct within the framework of real or fictional characters. In no particular order, let us begin:
• The Shoemaker’s Wife was a true pleasure to read. Written by Adriana Trigiani, the story begins in Italy and moves to America. The characters are delineated so finely that one begins to feel a kinship with them. It is a wonderous story without profanity, and uses correct English.
• Another title written by Adriana Trigiani was Kiss Carlo.The book begins in 1949 in South Philadelphia. The Dominic Palazzini families own a cab company and the Western Union Telegraph Office. The reader follows Nicky Castone as he journeys to manhood with his Uncle Dom and his emerging love for the theatre. Lives intersect and characters emerge as Calla Borelli and Peachy DePinto star in this intergenerational story of the power of la famiglia.
• Two John Grisham novels to note are The Confession and The Firm. In The Confession a man on death row is awaiting his final end while the real killer looks on and decides to confess to the crime. The true killer leads to the buried body and authorities know they have made a tragic mistake.
• Released in 1991 John Grisham’s second novel, The Firm, tells the story of a law firm in Memphis which is a front for the Mafia’s nefarious dealings to the tune of a billion dollars in numbered accounts in the Bahamas. It is a fast-paced tale of greed and corruption. But, the good guys win.
• The book Wench told the story of four slave women and their sufferings. Yet their spirits remained intact and their souls undiminished by their fate. The women care for one another and become sisters looking out for one another.
• Liar, Temptress, Soldier, Spy written by Karen Abbott tells of Civil War espionage richly researched as told by four Confederate women spies during the U.S. Civil War.
• A taunt, richly-worded tome of Chinese life and traditions is Shanghai Girls written by Lisa See. The story begins in Shanghai in 1937 and tells the story of Pearl Chin and her younger sister, May. They leave China when Japanese bombs are tormenting their city. They make their way to California and experience life in all its richness and sorrow. A beautifully-told story of sisterly love, of forgiveness and familial devotions.
• On a sun-split June day, I happened upon a garage sale and found the most delightful book published in 1924 and the price was 50 cents. Written almost 100 years ago! “So You Are Going to Paris!” was written by Clara E. Laughlin and had two attached ribbon bookmarks. We read French history and about the trial of Marie Antoinette. We read about the return of Napoleon’s remains at the Church of the Invalides. We visit the Madeleine flower markets and wander along the Champ-Elysees. The book is so delightful that I enjoyed reading every single page. All that pleasure for 50 cents!
• The Romanov Sisters, author Helen Rappaport, is the story of the four Russian grand duchesses and their tragic end in a basement at Ekaterinburg in 1918. It is a profound read.
• Encounters Unforeseen 1492 Retold was written by Andrew Rowen. Cristovao Colombo’s epic voyage to the New World is recounted in great detail. “He recalled the walls of Genoa, London, Galway and the cities of Portugal and Castile, for essential protection from enemy princes, criminals, plague, and the infidel. Every village has a wall for its protection. Every village.”