Small Great Things by Jodi Picoult

This is a wonderful book with a thought provoking subject and interesting characters. It is in large part about racism, an issue that can be tough to discuss, and I appreciate the way the author tackled this with such empathy and careful thought.

This is the story of Ruth, an experienced African American labor and delivery nurse.  One day on a routine shift, Ruth is tending to a newborn when she is notified by her boss that she must cease working on the infant at her parents request as they are white supremacists and don't want a person of color touching their baby.

Later that same baby has a cardiac issue when Ruth is the only person around. She hesitates. Should she perform CPR and possibly lose her job or comply with the parents and hospitals request not to touch the baby? The hesitating alone is enough to land her in deep trouble, accused of a serious crime that turns her life, and the life of her son, upside down.

She hires Kennedy, a white public defender, and throughout Ruth's trial, they become fast friends.

This is an excellent novel, one that I believe should be read in high schools all across the country.

Lost Lake by Sarah Addison Allen

Lost Lake is a magical novel, an enchanted story in a warm comforting setting. I wanted to crawl into and live in this book! 

Lost Lake was once a delightful collection of lakeside cabins that inspired a group faithful misfits to visit year after year. 

Eby and her husband bought Lost Lake many years ago, but now, with her husband gone,  Lost Lake is falling into disrepair, mostly abandoned due to newer, bigger, "better" nearby attractions and accomodations, it is crumbling in the Georgia humidity. Now a developer wants to buy Lost Lake to tear it down to develop the land.

When a long lost relative visits with her daughter, and word gets out that Eby is selling Lost Lake, Lost Lake's loyal (and slightly wacky) visitors come to visit for one last summer.... and that when the magic begins.

 An enchanting novel with many loveable charters, a lovely, often hilarious, sometimes sad story with a setting that feeds the soul. I highly recommend this one. 

This was my first book from this author, definitely not the last! A new favorite author.

Daisy Jones & The Six by Taylor Jenkins Reid

Take a trip to the late 1960's California Rock 'N Roll music scene.

Meet Daisy Jones, a beautiful young woman sneaking into clubs, sleeping with musicians, partying and hoping to become a singer songwriter.

Meet the Six, a rock 'n roll band on the cusp of infamy with a immensely talented front man named Billy, a hard partying, controlling, but loveable guy.

Daisy Jones Meets The Six... and musical history is made.

This is the story of drugs, sex, rock 'n roll, friendship, dreams, alcoholism, riches, family, and legends.

An immensely fun romp through the lifespan (and the relationships and drama within) of a fictional rock band.

The Book Woman of Troublesome Creek by Kim Michele Richardson

Oh, this book is so delicious! 

Based on the first mobile library in Kentucky, part of Roosevelt's 1930's Works Progress Administration (WPA) program, The Kentucky Pack Horse Library Project, combined with the interesting true story of the blue-skinned people of Kentucky, The Fugates, a family that were carriers of a rare genetic trait which led to the disease methemoglobinemia, which gives sufferers blue-tinged skin.

This is the story of Troublesome Creek a small town with people who have very little of what they need. This is the story of Cussy Mary Carter, a "blue", who becomes one of the the town's first traveling librarian, carrying books by horse through rivers, mountains, gullies in all weather, sometimes crossing paths with dangerous moon-shiners, dangerous animals,  and even more dangerous people who were racist prejudiced against "blues".

I highly recommend this book. 

"…a hauntingly atmospheric love letter to the first mobile library in Kentucky and the fierce, brave packhorse librarians who wove their way from shack to shack dispensing literacy, hope, and — just as importantly — a compassionate human connection."—Sara Gruen, author of Water for Elephants

Dances with Wolves by Michael Blake

This book is both beautiful and heartbreaking. Both fascinating and terrible. A gorgeous experience but horribly sad when you know, though history, how it all ends up in reality.

This is the story of a post civil war soldier, Lieutenant John Dunbar (later named Dances With Wolves) that is posted to an abandoned camp where his only companions are his horse, Cisco, and an old wolf that visits occasionally. While he appreciates the beauty and peace of the wild county surrounding his camp, he becomes lonely and after a few encounters with the Comanche Indian tribe that lives nearby, becomes friends with these majestic people.

One of the tribe members is a white woman named Stands with a Fist that was adopted by the tribe when she was a child. She is able to bridge the gap in language and makes it possible for Dunbar to learn about these people and he eventually becomes a part of the tribe living among them and participating in their way of life.

I won't give away the ending of the book (which is a bit different than the movie, which is nearly as good as the book), but I recommend that you read it to discover for yourself. 

A beautiful story, but we all know how things turned out in the end for Indians, which makes this story rather heartbreaking as well.

Definitely worth reading, especially if you liked the movie.

The Stand by Stephen King

Today's book seemed like a good choice during a global pandemic (although covid 19 is not nearly as deadly as the pandemic in the book).

Stephen King is one of my favorite authors and I'll likely have several books of his here eventually. I'm not really a horror genre fan and I don't care for horror movies (although I do like the paranormal genre),  but Stephen King books are so much more than just a scary story. His characters are amazing. In fact, I read this at least 3 times in my life just so that I could visit with the beloved characters.

The story line IS certainly scarey, a deadly bug (a germ, not the creepy crawly kind) gets loose from a military base and very rapidly travels across the country killing almost everyone. Unlike the Covid 19 of today's reality, this germ is extremely deadly to the majority of the population, like 99%. Way worse.

It is the story of a group of characters all across the country who survive the spread of the disease and what the world is like for them before, during and after.  Each share common dreams, either of something good, or something dark and dangerous and are drawn to others with like minds. They eventually all come together in 2 large cities and start their own societies, but one being "good" and one being "bad", they are obviously headed to a major conflict.

Normally, I'm not a fan of novels with a lot of characters as I tend to get them all mixed up which makes the story harder to follow. However Stephen King is so brilliant at character development that I had no trouble keeping tract of them all and the separate personalities, stories and situations. It was a delight, in fact.

This is a long story, it was originally released in an edited version, but I do recommend reading the complete uncut version. Might as well get the full story, right?

M-O-O-N, that spells "I love this book"!

The Giving Tree by Shel Silverstein

In honor of Arbor Day 2020 - today's book will be The Giving Tree!

This has been one of my favorite books since I was 8 years old when my grandmother gave it to me for Christmas in 1978. (see picture below of her inscription) That copy then belonged to our first daughter, Jessica, and later her sister, Jayne. They both enjoyed it as much as I did. While they are now both grown, I STILL have that copy in my library in hopes of perhaps sharing it with a grandchild someday.

"Once there was a tree.... and she loved a little boy."

This is story of a tree that loves a boy unconditionally. This tree, throughout it's lifespan, gives this boy all kinds of things that he wants, and this boy, accepts these gifts throughout his lifetime.

While it's easy to feel sad for the tree, she was made happy giving selflessly and being generous. While the boy did a lot of taking and used the tree for selfish reasons, he eventually learned to appreciate the trees gifts.

While a little sad, it has many important lessons. This is a must for all children in my opinion.

Harold and Maude by Colin Higgins

I own and have seen the movie "Harold and Maude", based on this novel, multiple times. (The movie has an excellent soundtrack too.) When I found out that it was also a book, I immediately ordered a copy and I am so glad that I did. I want to get a copy for everyone I know. The movie was fantastic and the book was very true to the novel but it also had some tidbits that the movie left out.

It's the story of Harold, age 19, fond of attending funerals (for people he doesn't even know), he drives a old hearse and enjoys staging fake suicides to get the attention of his extremely controlling mother. He delights in trying new ways to accomplish this - setting himself on fire, hanging, drowning, etc. 

One day Harold meets Maude, age 80, a lady who loves fast cars (and "borrows" them often), she dabbles in nude modeling and enjoys the arts, she invents crazy contraptions including an "odorific" machine that creates smells, she liberates ailing city trees to plant in the forest, and just delights in and enjoys life to the fullest. 

Maude quickly becomes Harolds only friend (and lover) who teaches him to not fear life, but to take absolute delight in it.

A slightly dark, very quirky comedy with a many valuable lessons on life and what is really important.