Reading (and Sharing) Books Can Save Us

A couple of short book reviews; some thoughts on staying calm in times of crisis

The last week has been fun but a bit challenging. I’ve been teaching, doing interviews, writing new essays for publication—I even sent in a poem for a contest—plus I’m preparing for my class on Sunday (more on that below). Russel is busy with his two online film classes—he is getting very close to finishing up school work for the semester—while he is planning our summer boat projects. And he also had two important doctor’s appointments. Yes, the “new” eyes are doing great. He is seeing 20/20 without glasses for the first time in many years, which is very exciting.

The week was also “interesting” as in the ancient curse, “May you live in interesting times.” I was heartened to see recent posts from many cultural leaders—from Heather Cox Richardson to Bruce Springsteen—calling out the blatantly corrupt actions of the current administration, and pointing out how quickly those in charge are shifting our country away from old norms of democracy and moving it toward authoritarianism. As The Boss said, “This is happening now.”

I’m not giving up on our country—far from it!—but I sometimes do have to turn away for a while, so the constant barrage of bad/infuriating news doesn’t cause me to spiral into inert depression or manic frustration. At a time like this reading can be a lifeline. Not just for escape from the news of the day—which seems to get worse every day—but for reminders of what humans can achieve, what kind of beings we are at our best, and how we can unite and triumph.

That's why I’ve been reading books that make me feel good. I'm not saying that my choices aren't well-written books but that's not the whole story of why I'm reading them. It might be because I need to remember that most people really are good at heart. That strangers can selflessly help other strangers. That people can come together to do good—and not only to protest the evil in the world. And yes, reading certain kinds of books can give me some peace at the end of a long day, and allow me to sleep well. The titles I'm reviewing today are all that sort of read.

You may have guessed the first book would be a dog story, because that is my go-to feel-good genre (like the wonderful Starter Dog by Rona Maynard). But no, it turns out that I am not completely predictable—it is a dog and horse book!

The Ride of Her Life: The True Story of a Woman, Her Horse, and Their Last-Chance Journey Across America is by Elizabeth Letts, author of The Eighty-Dollar Champion, which I also recommend. It’s the true story of Annie Wilkes, a sixty-three-year-old woman from Maine who rode a horse across America with just her mount(s) and her faithful dog for company, back in the middle of the 1950s. So many stories are called heart-warming, but this one actually made my heart feel warmer toward my generous and kind compatriots, and better about people in general.

The next pick is Table for Five by Izzy Bromley. I try to concentrate on reviewing indie publisher’s books that you might not otherwise hear about, but I thought this one was such a different sort of a fun ride, I had to recommend it. The book is set in England, but the story of five lonely people coming together in the coffee bar at a local store who end up making their community a better place could happen anywhere (I hope!). The idea of every one of these “misfits” having a real-world super power is what I liked best, but I also enjoyed the glimpses of modern romance, texts and all. Table for Five manages to be uplifting without feeling either phony or recycled.

Nancy Townsley's Sunshine Girl came out in April and I got an ARC for an early read. I enjoyed this book for so many reasons—the Pacific Northwest setting, the unusual family dynamics, and the smart and funny female main character (actually two). It’s about a young woman whose father was a newspaperman; she follows him into journalism, and also follows in the footsteps of the fascinating woman who was her mentor in the newspaper world. I won’t spoil any of the plot twists, there are many.

A work of historical fiction in the early chapters, this personal story comes right up to the present day at the end, which was perfect; the subject could not be more timely—I’m seeing the pressure put on journalists right now, and the fear they face just to be able to tell the truth about what is happening in the world…it all made this book really resonate with me. Other key themes are disability, healing, and how cities deal (or fail to deal) with homelessness. I highly recommend Sunshine Girl.

Yesterday I got to visit a WordFlow writing class virtually to do a Q&A—what a treat to get contacted by Michele Hall of Boomer Bedtime Stories to pop in and say hi. Then I did a quick online interview for the new Bookish Buddies short video clips that will be a new part of the Bookish Road Trip group on Facebook; I love talking about travel and books so that was a fun chat; my clip will be live in mid June and I’ll let you all know when it’s up. And last night I taught a class on “What Writers Should Know About Editing” for Story Circle Network. Good interest, feedback, and questions.

I’m teaching “Marketing on a Shoestring,” this Sunday as part of the San Diego Writers, Ink, Spring Into Writing weekend—it’s this weekend!—my class is on Sunday afternoon, May 18th at 2:30. The weekend is three days of great classes about every facet of writing, and it’s all “pay what you can” (though it is a fundraiser for SDWI so we instructors are donating our time). Find out much more about the weekend and about my class here.

hasta pronto!