Book news

A few weeks ago an old friend who now lives in California was in town for a few days and we got together for a girl’s night out with a group of our friends. Although we hadn’t seen each other in a few years, it seemed like it was just yesterday. It was hard to say goodbye at the end of the evening, having caught up on all the little things we miss talking about on a daily basis. Over the years we’ve shared a lot together –both the good times and the bad. Good friends have always played an important part in women’s lives. Women’s friendships have also figured prominently in many of our favorite books.

Songs Without Words by Ann Packer is the story of a lifelong friendship between two women. Beautifully written, Ms. Packer shows how life events can challenge and strain the bonds of friendship. In Truth and Beauty, Ann Patchett delves into the true story of her relationship with fellow author Lucy Grealy. They met in college and shared their writing experiences as well as Grealy’s struggle with drugs and addiction. Patchett’s devotion and love for her friend will resonate with many who have tried to help a friend through troubled times.

The Wednesday Sisters by Meg Waite Clayton follows the lives of five women who are going through many personal changes as the world around them is also undergoing change. Set in 1968 at the beginning of the women’s movement, they form a weekly writing group sharing their lives, hopes and dreams through their writing. In Commencement, by J. Courtney Sullivan, four college friends struggle to find their place in the world after graduating from a woman’s college where the ideals of feminism have been strongly embraced. Set in 2007, they have many opportunities available to them, but the choices they make are not always easy. The strength of their friendship is a source of comfort as they each follow their own path to adulthood.

The enduring nature of female friendships is the subject of The Girls from Ames by Jeffrey Zaslow. This true story follows eleven childhood friends from Ames, Iowa and the bonds that still connect them forty years later. Over the years they have been a support system for each other and a source of strength in times of need.

Do you have a close friend that you may have lost touch with recently? Technology has made it pretty easy for us to keep in touch if we are willing to make the effort. Perhaps one of these books will inspire you to reconnect with some of those friends. You may find that there’s something very special about those relationships that you don’t want to lose.

I just got back from vacation and found a growing stack of book club requests on my desk. Although many book clubs take a break over the summer months, many others get together to plan their reading choices for the fall and winter months. If your club is putting together a list of future selections, I just wanted to let you know about the most recent additions we’ve made to the Speaking of Books collection at the library.

The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Society by Mary Ann Shaffer and Annie Barrows, has quickly become a favorite of book clubs. This charming story takes place in 1946 near the end of World War II. Writer Juliet Ashton, looking for a topic to write her next book about, finds herself in an unusual correspondence with the members of the ‘society’ in the referenced title. Written as a series of letters, Juliet finds herself drawn into the lives of the inhabitants of Guernsey Island. Their stories, their tastes in literature, and the impact the German occupation had on the residents of Guernsey will give book clubs lots to discuss. Voted one of the top books of 2008 by Westport Library patrons, it is still one of the most requested books in our catalog.

I am so pleased that we were able to add Olive Kitteridge to our Speaking of Books collection. This 2009 Pulitzer Prize winner by Elizabeth Strout was one of my personal favorites of last year. Strout has written a series of short stories all connected by the title character, Olive Kitteridge. Life in small town Maine is vividly depicted through the stories of the local residents. Ms. Strout’s beautiful writing has made her characters truly believable. You will recognize many of them and there’s much in this little novel for book clubs to talk about. Be sure to put it on your list this year.

The latest addition to Speaking of Books is Sarah’s Key by Tatiana de Rosnay. Written in 2007, this is a novel about ten year old Sarah, a young Jewish girl from Paris captured by the Nazis during World War II,and American journalist Julia Jarmond. Sixty years after the war, Jarmond is working on a magazine story about the incident when she discovers a connection between her French husband’s family and young Sarah. Part history, part thriller, this book is most definitely a page turner that book clubs should enjoy.

So send me your lists and be sure to add one from our Speaking of Books collection. We can always provide a discussion guide for these books or for any of your book club choices. Contact smadeo [at] westportlibrary [dot] org (me) if you have any questions or need help with your book club. read more

Do you collect anything? Everything?

A cautionary tale is the history of the Collyers- two American brothers who became famous in mid-20th-century because of their compulsive hoarding. Sons of a doctor whose ancestors were some of the first settlers in America, Homer and Langley Collyer were snobs, whose Manhattan brownstone was filthy and full of rubbish. Cited as examples of obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD), the Collyers have had many mentions through the years in books, movies and on television. Both were found dead in their Harlem brownstone surrounded by over 100 tons of rubbish. More details of the strange lives of the Collyers.

Now, E.L. Doctorow has written a novel about the obsessions and the filial love of the Collyers. In Homer & Langley, Doctorow builds from the facts…bizarre enough to strain credulity… the rubbish included 14 pianos and an intact Model T…to paint one of the darker stories of American lore. Written in the voices of the brothers, the novel provides back story and seems normal enough until the world outside the mansion intrudes. Homer who is blind relies on the furtive Langley for food and care. Langley goes out only at night and though the brothers have money, food often is found in garbage cans or from restaurant leftovers. Doctorow is adept at basing his novels on history; in Homer & Langley the story seems almost mythical.

E.L. Doctorow, recipient of the Westport Library Award in 2000, has also been awarded the National Book Award, three National Book Critics Circle Awards, two PEN/Faulkner awards, the Edith Wharton Citation for Fiction, the William Dean Howells Medal of the American Academy of Arts and Letters and the National Humanities Medal.

One of my favorite Doctorow books is Waterworks which I read many years ago. Its scenes of 19th century New York are still vivid in my mind. There are many Doctorow novels to choose from and if the strange Collyers pique your interest, place a hold on the newest book.

Firemen & rescue personnel refer to a “Collyer situation” as a house so full of junk it’s dangerous to get inside or back out. The site of the original “Collyer situation” is now a park named for the two brothers. (Fifth Avenue & 128th Street)

School’s out and vacation time is here. “Staycations” (vacations spent at home or close by) are in fashion for many of us this summer. For lots of reasons an exotic vacation to far off places may be out of the question this year. Last spring when I was able to get away to Key West, legendary adopted home of Ernest Hemingway, I came across an interesting book from our collection entitled Novel Destinations. This is a fun travel guide that is filled with great suggestions for a literary vacation, many of them inexpensive and not too far from Westport. Written by Shannon McKenna Schmidt and Joni Rendon, these travel writers combined a passion for travel with a love of reading and, as a result, their book has filled a niche for all book lovers who would like to see and experience a little more about their favorite authors and the places that inspired them.

The Monte Cristo Cottage in New London is close enough for a daytrip. It was the childhood home of Pulitzer Prize winning playwright Eugene O’Neill. The Eugene O’Neill Theater Center nearby has a great selection of programs and plays to enjoy throughout the summer. If you head up north to Hartford, there are several literary landmarks. The Harriet Beecher Stowe Center is the last home of the author of Uncle Tom’s Cabin. Ms. Stowe’s best selling novel is credited with arousing public opinion against slavery. Nearby of course, is the Mark Twain House. Twain lived here from 1874 to 1891 and there’s always a lot going on here including activities for children as well as adults.

Children and adults alike will also love Washington Irving’s Sunnyside in Tarrytown, NY, a short drive away in Westchester County. The Legend of Sleepy Hollow will come alive as you tour the house and surrounding gardens. If you can manage an overnight trip, then I highly recommend a drive to Concord, Massachusetts. There are numerous literary destinations there that will capture your interest. Home of Ralph Waldo Emerson, Henry David Thoreau and Nathaniel Hawthorne, my favorite place of all is Orchard House, home of Louisa May Alcott, author of Little Women. This is the home where she was inspired to write her semi-autobiographical novel and a visit here is a must if you’re a fan.

These are just a few of the many destinations highlighted in the highly entertaining Novel Destinations. The authors also cover many places in Europe and in addition, they have a great blog that they often update. If you’ve been to any literary places recently, I’d love to hear about them. I’m always planning ahead for my next trip – any suggestions?