Spring Fling

It’s not time for summer reading yet, but it is time for a spring fling into new books—some published a while ago, some published recently. I am making recommendations of those I loved with the hope that you will be between books, or shortly will be, and will turn to one of these. Though someone said to me yesterday, “people don’t read books anymore,” I refuse to believe it and reply that my readership does. So don’t prove me wrong! Here are a few suggestions.

The White Houses

By Amy Bloom

This was one of my favorites, and I discovered on my own, rather than having it recommended it to me. I praised it to a friend in our book club and she nominated it for her choice of what we should read that month. It is based on a true story. Here’s how Amazon describes it:

“For readers of The Paris Wife and The Swans of Fifth Avenue comes a “sensuous, captivating account of a forbidden affair between two women” (People)—Eleanor Roosevelt and “first friend” Lorena Hickok.

NAMED ONE OF THE BEST BOOKS OF THE YEAR BY Financial Times • San Francisco Chronicle • New York Public Library • Refinery29 • Real Simple

Lorena Hickok meets Eleanor Roosevelt in 1932 while reporting on Franklin Roosevelt’s first presidential campaign. Having grown up worse than poor in South Dakota and reinvented herself as the most prominent woman reporter in America, “Hick,” as she’s known to her friends and admirers, is not quite instantly charmed by the idealistic, patrician Eleanor. But then, as her connection with the future first lady deepens into intimacy, what begins as a powerful passion matures into a lasting love, and a life that Hick never expected to have. She moves into the White House, where her status as “first friend” is an open secret, as are FDR’s own lovers. After she takes a job in the Roosevelt administration, promoting and protecting both Roosevelts, she comes to know Franklin not only as a great president but as a complicated rival and an irresistible friend, capable of changing lives even after his death. Through it all, even as Hick’s bond with Eleanor is tested by forces both extraordinary and common, and as she grows as a woman and a writer, she never loses sight of the love of her life. From Washington, D.C. to Hyde Park, from a little white house on Long Island to an apartment on Manhattan’s Washington Square, Amy Bloom’s new novel moves elegantly through fascinating places and times, written in compelling prose and with emotional depth, wit, and acuity.

The Book Thief

By Markus Zusak

This is the story of a young girl in Nazi Germany who learns how to read after she is sent away to be hidden with a generous Catholic family. Once she discovers books, she becomes obsessed and finds herself stealing them one by one, rescuing them from the fires the Nazi’s kindle using the printed word as their fuel. She and her father read them together, learning as they go. Taut and suspenseful, it is a novel you won’t want to miss. Again, this is a selection we discussed in our book club. Everyone loved it. Amazon points out the books attributes and Zusak’s honors.

Markus Zusak is the international bestselling author of six novels, including The Book Thief. His work is translated into more than forty languages, and has spent more than a decade on the New York Times bestseller list, establishing Zusak as one of the most successful authors to come out of Australia.

All of Zusak’s books – including earlier titles, The Underdog, Fighting Ruben Wolfe, When Dogs Cry (also titled Getting the Girl), The Messenger– have been awarded numerous honors around the world, ranging from literary prizes to reader’s choice awards to prizes voted on by booksellers.

In 2013, The Book Thief was made into a major motion picture, and in 2018 was voted one of America’s all-time favorite books, achieving 14th position on the PBS Great American Read. Also in 2018, Bridge of Clay was selected as a best book of the year in publications ranging from “Entertainment Weekly” to The Wall Street Journal.

Magical Lessons: The Prequel To Practical Magic

By Alice Hoffman

I read the recent Magical Lessons for fun and easy reading rather than for a “literary” experience. It fulfilled all my expectations, to the max. Don’t worry if you haven’t read the two others, Practical Magic  or The Rules of Magic, as this is a “prequel,” which means it precedes the other books in the series. Amazon summarizes it this way:

In an unforgettable novel that traces a centuries-old curse to its source, beloved author Alice Hoffman unveils the story of Maria Owens, accused of witchcraft in Salem, and matriarch of a line of the amazing Owens women and men featured in Practical Magic and The Rules of Magic.

Where does the story of the Owens’ bloodline begin? With Maria Owens, in the 1600’s, when she’s abandoned in a snowy field in rural England as a baby. Under the care of Hannah Owens, Maria learns about the “Nameless Arts.” Hannah recognizes that Maria has a gift, and she teaches the girl all she knows. It is here that she learns her first important lesson: Always love someone who will love you back.

When Maria is abandoned by the man who has declared his love for her, she follows him to Salem, Massachusetts. Here she invokes the curse that will haunt her family. And it’s here that she learns the rules of magic and the lesson that she will carry with her for the rest of her life. Love is the only thing that matters.

Magic Lessons is a celebration of life and love and a showcase of Alice Hoffman’s masterful storytelling.

Happy reading!

Yours,