Pat Taub
This week I’m offering book suggestions for holiday giving. They include gripping plots by acclaimed writers; a brilliant thesis on climate change; an inspiring bio; and recommendations from my wonderful book nerdy friends.
FICTION TO TAKE YOUR BREATH AWAY
Oh William!
This is Elizabeth Strout’s latest novel, which I read in one day. It’s a short, concise, riveting tale of Lucy Barton’s ex-husband, William. Barton has appeared in several Strout novels. There were so many perfect descriptors in this slim book that I frequently looked away from the page to digest a moving passage. The renowned British writer, Hillary Mantel, describes Strout as having “perfect attunement to the human condition.”
Two Gems by Louise Erdrich
The Night Watchman
The Watchman won the Pulitzer Prize this year. It’s a fictional account based on Erdrich’s grandfather, the watchman, who, in the 1950’s. mobilized members of his North Dakota tribe to make the long train ride to the US Senate to protest the federal government’s attempts to “terminate” the rights to their land. The characters are warm, funny, and caring, while carrying the depression of previous generations who were forced off their land.
Louise Erdrich, photo by Jenn Ackerman
The Sentence
Erdrich’s latest novel takes place during the onset of Covid. The action centers around a small independent bookstore in Minneapolis, which specializes in Native American lore and is a thinly disguised reference to Erdrich’s own bookstore. The eccentric characters are instantly lovable. A persistent ghost haunts the bookstore, defying all attempts to banish her.
CLIMATE CHANGE
The Nutmeg’s Curse by Amitav Ghosh
This book has generated a lot of buzz for its historical perspective on our current climate crisis. Ghosh’s research led him to the 16th century Dutch traders who exploited Indonesia’s Banda Islands for their valuable nutmeg, massacring locals who stood in their way, even destroying their homes and land. This brazen extermination of native people and lands in pursuit of natural resources laid the groundwork for the current, ongoing abuse of Mother Earth.
A RIVETING BIO
Dorothy Day by John Loughery and Blythe Randolph
A meticulously researched book, chronicling Dorothy Day’s journey from hard-drinking, free-living bohemian to Catholic activist, who founded poor houses and the famous Catholic Worker newspaper. Day was on the front lines of every major social movement during her lifetime, including protests for better wages, the rights of farm workers and objection to both world wars and the Vietnam war. Moving inspiration to awaken your Inner Dorothy.
Dorothy Day was a fixture at ant-war marches throughout her life time, (c. 1950’s)
BOOKS MY FRIENDS SWEAR BY
The Lincoln Highway by Amor Towles
Towles became very popular with his bestseller, A Gentleman in Moscow. His new page turner, set in 1950’s Kansas, features Emmett, an 18 year-old ex-con and Billy, his 8 year-old brother. Together they set out on the Lincoln Highway in pursuit of California and a better life. Emmett’s plans are derailed in a series of plot twists.
House of Names by Colm Toibin
Toibin is among the greatest living novelists. The House of Names is a retelling of the ancient Greek myth of Clytemnestra, who seeks revenge for her husband’s, King Agamemnon, deadly sacrifice of their daughter, Iphigenia. As in many Greek myths, the murders fly, leading one to question family ties and the place of violence in our lives.
Night at the Fiestas by Kristin Valdez Quade
This collection of short stories set in New Mexico charts the passions and obligations of family life while exploring race, class and coming-of-age. The friend who recommended this book applauded the complexity and appeal of Quade’s characters.
The Heroine With 1001 Faces by Maria Tatar
Tatar is a world-renowned folklorist who chronicles the long-buried history of heroines, taking us from Cassandra and Scheherazade to Nancy Drew and Wonder Woman. I can’t wait to read it.
NEW YEAR’S RESOLUTIONS
How to Break Up with Your Phone by Catherine Price
Tips for managing your phone addiction, which includes a Sabbath free phone day. I have high hopes of implementing Price’s advice in 2022.
Plant-Based Diet in 30 Days by Sara Tercero
Suggestions for transitioning to a plant-based diet for personal heath and for the health of the planet.
HAPPY HOLIDAYS AND HAPPY READING!
