Christmas is upon us and it is the season for the Christmas Book Review so you can find some lovely gifts for all your book loving friends and relations.
I have a wonderful tradition I think we should start in Keswick. A friend introduced me to the Icelandic tradition called “Jolabokaflod” which roughly translates to the “Christmas Book Flood”. This started during WWII when everything but paper was rationed in Iceland and so Christmas gifts were scarce…but books could be produced, and to this day Christmas is associated with the gift of books in Iceland. It’s no wonder they are the third most literate country in the world! They give the gift of books on Christmas Eve and traditionally spend the evening reading and drinking hot cocoa! This sounds like the perfect Christmas to me!!! So who is with me? Let’s make this a new goal for Keswick – get ready for the “Jolabokaflod”!
With this in mind here are a few suggestions to help you get in the Book Flood mood this year.
I just found out that this book is out on HBO as a new series but reading the book first is always a must in my household, so pick up a copy of My Brilliant Friend by Elena Ferrante and let it transport you to Italy where you will discover two friends, Elena and Lila, living in the outskirts of Naples in a poor neighborhood during the 1950’s. Two young girls, one studious, the other quite brilliant, grow up trying to figure out who they are in the midst of a changing Italy. They compete with each other both academically and with their loves yet manage to remain friends. It is a beautiful, complex book exploring friendship as the world changes around them. This is part of the Neapolitan Book Series so once you finish this one go look for the next in the series.
Carnegie’s Maid, by Marie Benedict is a historical fiction which tries to come to terms with how Andrew Carnegie morphed from a man solely interested in amassing his fortune to becoming a philanthropist. Benedicts creates a story around this shift in temperament by introducing the character of Clara Kelley, an Irish immigrant fresh off the boat who is mistaken for a maid sent to be Margaret Carnegie’s (Andrew’s mother) ladies’ maid. It is a happy coincidence for the farmer’s daughter and she uses her quick wit to take advantage of this good fortune. Apparently, the author’s ancestors were Irish Immigrants and had a similar experience which she used to help create the story. It is a wonderful look at Pittsburg during the 1860s and the plight of the immigrants of that era. It also gives some insight into why Carnegie might have been inspired to open the Public Libraries everyone can freely enjoy today.
Only Child is a debut novel by Rhiannon Navin that will touch your heart. Zach Taylor is a first grader at McKinley Elementary, and when a man comes in one day and starts shooting, Zach hides in terror with his teacher in a closet. Only later does he learn his older brother has been shot. Through Zach’s eyes we learn about the fear and confusion that comes with this horrible incident, especially when Zach learns the gunman was the son of the beloved school security guard, Charlie. Zach struggles to understand why his mother now hates Charlie and why everyone seems to have forgotten that his brother, Andy, wasn’t always the nicest guy. Suddenly no one can say anything bad about Andy or anything nice about Charlie and Zach’s confusion becomes our own as we begin to see clearly that dealing with grief can sometimes flip the world on its head. Once again, a child’s voice leads the way to learn to follow your heart and to not let the pain of loss drown you
An American Marriage is just a beautifully written book. The author, Tayari Jones is a master of her craft and the words are stirring and the story makes you think deeply about so many things it is difficult to know where to begin. This book isn’t really about race, although that plays a part in it. It is about marriage and relationships and about the emotions that buoy us up and send us crashing to the depths of despair. Celestial and Roy are a young couple, newly married and living in Atlanta with their whole future ahead of them and their prospects are looking good. He is a young business executive who is chomping at the bit to make something of himself and she is an artist on the cusp of being the next big thing to hit the art world. When Roy is suddenly falsely accused of rape and lands in jail, their world is ripped apart. Celestial must decide what type of wife she will be and where her future lies, and Roy has to make peace with the fact he could spend the rest of his life in jail. It is a heartbreaking story and I found myself appalled by some of the character’s choices and yet, because of how engrossed I became with the narration, I felt myself carried along and moved through the whole novel. All of the relationships in this book have a story to tell and they are worth reading about because they cause you to dig deep and thing about your own choices.
What else do I have on my pile of reading for the Christmas Holidays? Here a few more picks that might interest you:
Daughters of the Lake by Wendy Webb which is a period piece supernatural thriller which is really spooky and fun.
The Royal Nanny by Karen Harper which is a historical fiction based on the life of Charlotte Bill who came to Sandringham in 1897 to be the nanny to the royal family of England. It is fascinating and will make you want to look into the actual history a bit more.
Matthew Pearl has a new novel out called The Dante Chamber which is a follow up to his Dante Club and takes the thrilling murder mystery to England where literary and painting great must once again match wits with a killer basing his murders on the masterpieces by Dante.
The King’s Witch by Tracy Borman is another period piece which transports you to the royal court of King James I. Did you realize that King James was actually King James VI of Scotland and King James I of England? Talk about confusing. Yes, this is the King who the King James version of the bible was named after, but he is also supposed to have had the most debauched court and this led to trouble and persecution. When Frances Gorges, our heroine, is forced to leave her quiet estate to serve as a lady of the court she is put in grave danger as the politics and religious intolerance wreaks havoc around her. Guy Fawkes’ night is celebrated in the UK where they chant “Remember, remember the 5th of November” and set off fireworks and light bonfires to commemorate when a plot to blow up parliament was thwarted in 1605. The Gunpowder Plot, as it is called, is the background of this novel and if you enjoy history, you will be intrigued with the tale of espionage, flattery and drama that unfolds in these pages.
I hope everyone goes out and buys a book to share with a friend on Christmas Eve and happy reading!