Author: Rosemary

A Cool Book for a Hot Day

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We made a quick trip down to Nashville early this week.  There wasn’t going to be much time for relaxing and sinking into a good book, so I had to choose the book I would take with care. When I saw that the weather predictions were for temperatures in the high 90s, I knew exactly which book to take: The Frozen Thames by Helen Humphreys.

This pint-sized book tells the story of the 40 times the river Thames froze completely over between 1142 and 1895. Each of the 40 years has a several page vignette as told from one individual’s viewpoint. The author’s unusually creative approach to historical fiction is based on documented facts, many of which were mentioned in 3 books published from 1814 to 1887. Somefrozenthames of the stories are immensely sad, since the frozen river caused much loss and pain. But there are other stories that will amuse and start the hint of a smile on the reader’s face.

~Rosemary

Time for a Change

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Summer reading is often thought of as light and breezy. The nonfiction book I am recommending is definitely easy to read, but it also takes a deeper, more philosophical, turn as the story unfolds. Building a Home with My Husband: A Journey Through the Renovation of Love by Rachel Simon is a memoir of the time Rachel and Hal renovated their very old home in Delaware. After a burglar enters their home, Rachel decides they should move to a different neighborhood. Once they review their finances, they understand that renovation is all that they can afford. Hal is an architect, so he designs the renovation and hires the general contractor. The renovation begins, but soon there are many expensive difficulties to face and many time delays.

 

Rachel and Hal’s tale would be interesting enough on its own, but Rachel layers inbuilding compelling memories of her family and a heartrending breakup with Hal thirteen years earlier. The author deftly shows how everyday lives can be luminous with meaning as she explores the intricacies of human relationships. Even if you have no interest in home renovation, you will be captivated by Rachel’s memoir because, underneath the travails of renovation, it is a love story through and through.

 

~Rosemary~

Make Your House Your Home

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Two of my favorite books for decorating ideas are not really about decorating. They are more about the architectural bones of a home.  Better Homes and Gardens Adding Character with Architectural Details is a gem. It is filled with pointers and beautiful pictures on how to bring character into homes from the very old to the new. If you need ideas for molding, wainscoting, fireplaces, and stairways, you will find many examples here. The second book is Prefabulous : the House of Your Dreams Delivered Fresh from the Factory by Sheri Koones. It is a feast for your eyes; the prefab homes are completely stunning. The interiors have clean, uncluttered lines accented with wood and stone.  The exteriors feature timber, frame, log, concrete, and steel construction. Each time I look at these two books (and I’ve looked at them often), I find something new to consider for my home. 

~Rosemary

A Little More on Baseball

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Another book that features baseball is Waiting for Teddy Williams by Howard Frank Mosher.  It is an engaging and offbeat coming-of-age novel that stars young Ethan Allen.  His dream is to play for the Boston Red Sox.  Ethan is growing up in a small town in rural Vermont in the 1980s and lives with his fearless mother who bootlegs liquor to pay their property taxes. 

Ethan has never met his father, so he confides in the statue of Ethan Allen, his namesake, on the town’s square.  He asks the statue to send him someone to help him with his baseball dreams.  Could the drifter who appears one summer be the answer to his plea?

You will start rooting for Ethan from the very first page of this quirky and humorous story.

                                                         ~Rosemary

  

Words to Enjoy

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Emma’s earlier post on National Poetry Month reminded me how much I enjoy reading the poems of Billy Collins. He is such good company!

In his 2001 collection, Sailing Alone Around the Room, he infuses everyday life with wit, imagination, and a sense of magic. His poetry gathers in the reader in a most welcoming way. He writes of the neighbor’s barking dog, shoveling snow, insomnia, and the death of parents. His words offer the reader wisdom, humor, and sometimes a sense of peace. Collins ends this collection with a poem that is a sly wink of appreciation to his readers.

~Rosemary

Something to think about…

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Award-winning author Ann Patchett’s newest book, What now?, is based upon the commencement address she gave at her alma mater, Sarah Lawrence College.  Patchett initially wrote the typical serious and sleep-inducing commencement address. She was quite pleased with it, too. Luckily for the graduating seniors and her readers, she took her mentor’s advice and started over. The address she actually gave is a keeper. It is full of humor and wisdom gleaned from her journey from student to bestselling author. Whether you are a graduating senior or a reader much further along their life journey, Patchett’s book offers a joyful nudge to embrace the unexpected, to listen to those who come into your life, and to realize that change will be a constant. “What now?”—two little words that will open up a lifetime of possibilities.

~ Rosemary