- Pachinko – Min Jin Lee, 2017
- The Sam Pig Story Book – Alison Uttley, 1965 – Comfort re-reading. Delightful stories with images that have lived in my mind since I first read them (around age 8-10?). The memory that drove me to pick it up this time was the story “Magic Water,” in which the pig family invite a Stranger (the rain personified) into their house, and he plays the fiddle for them:
He stood in the doorway and the rain poured from him in dancing cascades to the floor. He was dressed in black and and a long cloak hung from his shoulders. His hair was shining with water; the hands which held the great cloak around him were wet and rain fell from the long pointed finger tips. His bright eyes were like stars shining from the darkness. He carried a sheaf of long arrows, glittering like glass, fine as spun gold, thousands of them packed into the silver sheaf.
… He drew the bow across and the low wail of a coming storm filled the room. Then he changed his tune, and played airs so entrancing they brought pictures which seemed to float before their eyes, of rainbow days when light flashes after rain, or spring days when sun and rain strive for mastery.
- T. Tembarom – Frances Hodgson Burnett, 1913 – CRR (comfort re-reading, of which there was lots this month, perhaps making up for last month. One Burnett always leads to several more!) – One of my very favorite FHBs, with great characters and a classic plot.
- Little Lord Fauntleroy – Frances Hodgson Burnett, 1886 – CRR
- An Artist of the Floating World – Kazuo Ishiguro, 1986 – quotes pulled, TBD
- Are We Smart Enough to Know How Smart Animals Are? – Frans de Waal, 2016 – quotes pulled, TBD
- Coach: Lessons on the Game of Life – Michael Lewis, 2005 – Picked this up at the LWV book sale so essentially free, but it’s going straight to next year’s donations. I normally love Michael Lewis, but is an OK essay turned into a gift/impulse purchase: skinny but $12.95 hardcover (in 2005!) with arty/sentimental BW photos of kids playing ball, fireworks, dogs, etc., some by Tabitha Soren (his wife). Interestingly, the title page verso has two copyright listings, one in each of their names.
- Gulliver’s Travels – Jonathan Swift, 1726 – quotes pulled, TBD
- Atomic Habits: An Easy & Proven Way to Build Good Habits & Break Bad Ones – James Clear, 2018 – quite good but already mostly evaporated from my mind, like most self-help…
- At Swim-Two-Birds -Flann O’Brien, 1939 – quotes pulled, TBD
- Born Standing Up: A Comic’s Life – Steve Martin, 2007 – It was Trent Hamm who got me to read this, and wow, it is very good and interesting about the “how” and not just the “what” of Martin’s career.
- The Simple Path to Wealth: Your Road Map to Financial Independence and a Rich, Free Life – J. L. Collins, 2016 – Everyone who tried Invested should read this instead—much better advice.
- Earth Abides – George R. Stewart, 1949 – I love classic post-apocalyptic fiction and had never heard of this one until recently, but zillions of people recommend it. It’s excellent and I might re-read at some point as I do my other favorites.
- The Ordinary Princess – M. M. Kaye, 1980 – I’ve owned a copy from a book sale for a long long time but finally got around to reading it—same impulse as comfort reading but not a re-read. Very good and satisfying!
- A Little Princess – Frances Hodgson Burnett, 1905 – CRR for the umpteenth time!