I’m still working on that To Be Read list. With 45 titles remaining on that list, I don’t have the time or the inclination to dawdle over books that don’t catch my interest. That being said, it is also difficult for me to give up on a book that has any redeeming quality at all. The problem with “Hamnet” by Maggie O’Farrell was more than that it was slow. Parts of it were contrived to the point that it not only didn’t interest me, it annoyed me. The book is based on the death of William Shakespeare’s 11-year-old son, Hamnet, in 1596. The cause is unknown, but it is suspected that he died of the plague, and that, as well as the belief that he was the inspiration for the play “Hamlet,” is the premise of this book. Anyone planning to read this book would probably know at least that much before beginning the book. However, the author tried to keep the identity of “the father,” or in his younger days, “the Latin tutor,” (or any other possibly imaginable way to refer to him rather than by name) a mystery throughout the book - long past the point that it served the plot. On the other hand, the chapters about the rest of the family, particularly Hamnet’s mother, Agnes, were completely engrossing. In case you’re interested, and sorry if this is a spoiler, but no, there is not a big reveal at the end. “Hamnet’s father,” “her husband,” “the man on stage,” whatever else you want to call him - other than William Shakespeare - is never identified by name.
The next book on my TBR list was E.B. White’s “Stuart Little.” This treasure, originally published in 1948, was a childhood favorite, and rereading it was pure joy! If you are not familiar with the adventures of the Little’s diminutive son, Stuart, you should be. The book jacket says it better than I ever could, “Stuart Little, small in size only, has the adventurousness, the great purpose, and the indomitable spirit of a heroic figure, and his story, funny and tender and exciting by turns, will be read, re-read, and loved by young and old.”
“Clap When You Land,” by Elizabeth Acevedo, was next on my list. This story, told in verse, is about two young women, two sisters - one in New York, the other in the Dominican Republic. They learn of each other when their father dies in a plane crash on his way for his annual summer visit to the Dominican Republic. This is a story of loss, but also of gain. The title is a reminder to us all to celebrate the now.
I love a good book series! The more titles, the better! There are 12 Poldark books? Bring it! Harlan Coben has written 11 Myron Bolitar books? No problem! Does anyone even know how many Inspector Lynley books Elizabeth George has written? Unimportant! I’ve read them all! I like getting to really know characters and developing relationships with them. Okay, so you’re probably thinking that I sound like Kathy Bates’ character in the movie “Misery.” You’re not wrong, but I would like to point out that Elizabeth George killed off a beloved character and I did not break her kneecaps. I did raise my voice at a display of her next book in Barnes & Noble - but no one was injured. Anyway, all of that to say that I was delighted to learn that “A Bad Day for Sunshine” is the first book in a new series. Darynda Jones writes the way I like to believe that I would write if I were a writer - funny and riveting. (Although, I might not be quite as graphic with some of my scenes.) I immediately began the second book in the series, “A Good Day For Chardonnay,” because I just couldn’t wait to know what happened next with the new sheriff of Del Sol, N.M., Sunshine Vicram. (This is how I get distracted from my TBR list.)
I hope you are getting through your TBR list, and adding new titles all the time!
by Nancy Carstens
The next book on my TBR list was E.B. White’s “Stuart Little.” This treasure, originally published in 1948, was a childhood favorite, and rereading it was pure joy! If you are not familiar with the adventures of the Little’s diminutive son, Stuart, you should be. The book jacket says it better than I ever could, “Stuart Little, small in size only, has the adventurousness, the great purpose, and the indomitable spirit of a heroic figure, and his story, funny and tender and exciting by turns, will be read, re-read, and loved by young and old.”
“Clap When You Land,” by Elizabeth Acevedo, was next on my list. This story, told in verse, is about two young women, two sisters - one in New York, the other in the Dominican Republic. They learn of each other when their father dies in a plane crash on his way for his annual summer visit to the Dominican Republic. This is a story of loss, but also of gain. The title is a reminder to us all to celebrate the now.
I love a good book series! The more titles, the better! There are 12 Poldark books? Bring it! Harlan Coben has written 11 Myron Bolitar books? No problem! Does anyone even know how many Inspector Lynley books Elizabeth George has written? Unimportant! I’ve read them all! I like getting to really know characters and developing relationships with them. Okay, so you’re probably thinking that I sound like Kathy Bates’ character in the movie “Misery.” You’re not wrong, but I would like to point out that Elizabeth George killed off a beloved character and I did not break her kneecaps. I did raise my voice at a display of her next book in Barnes & Noble - but no one was injured. Anyway, all of that to say that I was delighted to learn that “A Bad Day for Sunshine” is the first book in a new series. Darynda Jones writes the way I like to believe that I would write if I were a writer - funny and riveting. (Although, I might not be quite as graphic with some of my scenes.) I immediately began the second book in the series, “A Good Day For Chardonnay,” because I just couldn’t wait to know what happened next with the new sheriff of Del Sol, N.M., Sunshine Vicram. (This is how I get distracted from my TBR list.)
I hope you are getting through your TBR list, and adding new titles all the time!
by Nancy Carstens
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