Hello reader…
Our final Book Lovers gathering for 2021 was a cozy event with lots of interesting reads shared…
“Pleasures” by Bertolt Brecht
Our gathering opened with a short poem of simple pleasures. We added a few simple pleasures of our own: old photographs…the first sip of coffee…
Quiet Contemplations: photographs by Jan Bell by Jan Bell
One of our readers stumbled upon this collection of gorgeous landscapes during a recent visit to a Carmel gallery in RL. The photos reminded her of some of Michael Kenna’s, another photographer. Though it was published in 2021, few copies were made available for sale – but after a bit of hunting, our reader was able to acquire a copy through a new-to-us bookseller called Biblio.
Her Smoke Rose Up Forever by James Tiptree (aka Alice Bradley Sheldon)
A reader recommends this female science fiction author who wrote under a male name for several years. Her stories are mostly about gender, though her stories tend to be dark/uncomfortable so they may not be for everyone. A few of her stories can also be found in Clarkesword magazine.
Penelope Gilbert and the Children of Azure by Emily A. Steward
This is a junior level book that falls into the fantasy fiction genre. The same reader also read Mystery of the Egyptian Mummy by Scott Peters – another junior level read, set in the time of pharaohs. A third book, Spectacular Stories for Curious Kids by Jesse Sullivan was also recommended. It’s a collection of great stories from all time periods written for younger readers. All three books are available to download for free via BookBub.
Lord Byron Series by Gretta Curran Browne
There are 5 books in this series of biographical historical fiction about the poet, Lord Byron. His poetry is included in her retelling.
Drood by Dan Simmons
Another in the biographical historical fiction vein, though this one focuses on a dark period in Charles Dicken’s life.
Victoria & Abdul: The True Story of the Queen’s Closest Confidant by Shrabani Basu
Our book lover watched the movie, then read the book, and found that the book had a more scholarly tone.
Dune by Frank Herbert
Some of us are reading it for the first time; others revisiting. We reflected a bit on the 2021 movie, too.
Dark Star by Alan Furst
Furst writes mostly espionage novels set during WWII or the period between the two wars. This one is about a Russian Jewish journalist who is co-opted by the Russian Intelligence service to do a bit of spying for them. It is set in the period just before WWII. This is the fifth book of his that our fellow book lover has read and she has enjoyed all of them. They are historical fiction (seems to be the theme of this gathering!) – the characters and stories are fiction, but all are based on things that really happened.
The Travelling Cat Chronicles by Hiro Arikawa
Originally written in Japanese and translated to English by Philip Gabriel, this novel is about a man and his best friend – a stray cat he took in. They travel across Japan together by van, visiting the man’s friends and thus revisiting his past. It’s a story of friendship and funny insights into typical cat behavior – partially told through the cat’s perspective.
A couple of book lovers wondered if this book was inspired by this true story of a man and a stray cat bicycling around the world.
Cozy Zine by Grace Stafford
A new digital zine that our book lover friend says is short enough to read at a busy time.
Our next gathering will take place on Sunday, January 9th at 1pm. ‘Til then, happy holidays, dear friends…and happy reading!
The Reading Room 