Thank you. This is a really interesting topic. I’ve read 84, Charing Cross Road – Helen Hanff and Read My Pins – Madeline Albright I read a lot of non-fiction, but many are not the cozy kind. Still, it’s hard for me to only pick a few and to sum them up quicklyI’ve read 84, Charing Cross Road – Helen Hanff and Read My Pins – Madeline Albright
Loved both of these and look forward to reading some of the others that you posted.
My comments are taken from my original thoughts
I Feel Bad About My Neck – Nora Ephron
This book sat on my shelf for years. Did I really want to read this book?
Well, why not? After all Ephron was quite a writer.
Heartburn, published in 1983 was my first encounter with Nora Ephron. I remember this as a funny, romantic read. Though humor is subjective Ephron’s sense of mirth is fine with me. Never having read any of her other books I certainly am familiar with her films,When Harry Met Sally, Sleepless in Seattle,, and You’ve Got Mail. There are many others.
Though I don’t feel bad about my neck anymore many other things have taken its place. Who knew I should worry about the purse I carry, varicose veins, coloring my hair, manicures, pedicures, the food I serve, my skin, and the dreaded post-menopausal hair, especially the bounty of this growing above my lips.
This was the perfect book for a dreary, rainy day. I Feel Bad About My Neck lightened my mood and reminded me how great it is to be a woman, turtleneck and all.
A special voice is gone as Nora Ephron passed away in 2012 but her talent lives on. Treat yourself to one of her books or a movie for which she was the screenwriter, producer or director. Have a good laugh in honor of one classy woman.
The Hummingbird’s Gift: Wonder, Beauty and the Renewal of Wings -Sy Montgomery
If you have ever been mesmerized by the behavior of this jewel of a bird this is a story not to be missed. I thought I knew a lot about hummers but I learned so much in this less than 100 page gem. From its dedication “To mothers everywhere, who understand” to its last page it was not only delightful but also an insightful read as told by Sy Montgomery.
The Taste of Country Cooking – Edna Lewis, Alice Waters (Contributor), Judith Jones (Contributor)
Reissued with a foreword by Alice Waters, it is a gem.
My husband walked by the other night and asked what I was reading. “Oh, just a cookbook” I answered. “What for?” he said with raised eyebrows and added, “When was the last time you cooked something from a cookbook?” He had a point. “Well, this one’s really interesting. I’ve always wanted to know how to butcher a hog”. That sent him on his way shaking his head.
To tell the truth, my husband was right. I read lots of cooking magazines and cookbooks and yet make very little beyond the usual meals I’ve cooked all the years we’ve been married. What he doesn’t realize is, cookbooks are read for more than the recipes. They are oral histories of lives lived, our connection to family through food and celebration and storytelling at their finest.
Edna Lewis was born in 1916, the year my own dear father entered this world. This is probably where their commonality ended though their Christmas stockings held similar treats. The foreword penned by Alice Waters begins
Enslaved by Ducks – Bob Tartae
Delightful book but couldn’t imagine living with all these animals. Bob and his wife Linda bring new meaning to pet owners. Rabbits, ducks, geese, parrots, doves, turkeys; a whole gaggle of all god’s creatures share a home with this couple. Great book to savor on one’s own, not certain how it will fare for book discussion.
Wheels of Change: How Women Rode the Bicycle to Freedom (With a Few Flat Tires Along the Way) – Sue Macy
I was absolutely delighted by this book. Of course there are other books that outline the history of the bicycle but the unique quality of Macy’s is her look at how it changed and shaped the woman’s world in the 1800’s wheeling us right into the present day.
History and stories of women and their boneshakers, velocipedes, sidesaddles, tricycles, and tandems are just part of the story. Bicycle fashion, bicycle races, bicycle advertising, women inventors, this book covers it all. There are quotes, tales of prominent women who loved their cycles, and those who thought women would surely go to the devil if they rode. Bicycle songs, bicycle lore, cycling slang, and bicycling magazines fill in, not leaving many gaps. Oh, and did I say the illustrations are great!
Sue Macy’s portrait of cycling history, as both sport and means of transportation, moving women forward and enacting change, is not to be missed.
Last but not least:
I’d Rather Be Reading: The Delights and Dilemmas of the Reading Life – Anne Bogel
One of my favorite parts of Anne’s book memories was her time spent living next door to the library. Imagine what this means to a book lover. Any time the library is open you can just swing on by.
Her love of reading began at an early age. Her mother grew up visiting the library, her father grew up visiting the bookstore. Her mother took her to the library and set her free, letting her choose to her heart’s content. Her father took her to the bookstore where he let her wander and browse. Bogel does not wander far from the tree. Nature or nurture, she had it made.
She is one of us, a bibliophile with heart. And she makes darn good recommendations. What’s not to like?
