Page 11 of 29

‘THE GOWN’ – FOR FANS OF “THE CROWN”

August 11, 2019 /

I have read so much WWII historical fiction it’s nice to come across more post-WWII historical fiction. Recently I have read a couple of novels set during this time period in New York but just yesterday I finished The Gown: A Novel of the Royal Wedding by Jennifer Robson. I want to thank Aunt Jean for the recommendation; her book club was reading it!

As the title suggests, this book is set in 1947 as Great Britain anticipates the royal wedding of Princess Elizabeth (now Queen Elizabeth) to Lieutenant Phillip Mountbatten.

A PAT CONROY BOOK’S JOURNEY FULL CIRCLE

July 28, 2019 /

A family friend “Fred” often recorded his reflections in the back of his books. “MY BOOK, MY NOTES” he announced before noting reflections, disagreements, favorite paragraphs etc. I do this with a dog-ear to a page and on this blog but not to Fred’s detail.

Fred and my dad would exchange books, several at once. My friends do this too. Recently, my parents passed me a book of Fred’s they found while cleaning out shelves. They thought I might enjoy reading Fred’s notes in the back of The Death of Santini: The Story of a Father and His Son before I was to pass it along to Fred’s daughter. Fred had also noted in the front of the book that it had been a gift from her, Christmas ’13.

And yes I did enjoy Fred’s notes in the back – so much so that I ended up reading the book itself. I loved this book. How Conroy writes about both the horror and humor of his dysfunctional family is completely fascinating.

‘CITY OF GIRLS’

July 25, 2019 /

I recently picked the perfect vacation read! It was: City of Girls: A Novel by Elizabeth Gilbert.

What makes the perfect vacation read? For me, it is a book that passes the time during travel but still tempts me to pick it up when I could just as easily sit and watch the waves roll in. Also, I need some substance; my perfect “beach reads” are not mindless.

This new book by the author of Eat, Pray, Love is set during 1940s New York, in the theatre district. This was especially fun for me since I just read another book with similar setting.

Vivian is 19 and has recently been kicked out of college. Not knowing what to do, her affluent parents send her to New York to stay with her aunt who runs a midtown theater. Vivian quickly gets another kind of education.

‘HIGH ACHIEVER’ – THE INCREDIBLE TRUE STORY OF ONE ADDICT’S DOUBLE LIFE

July 23, 2019 /

I spent the last couple of days (this was a very quick read) plowing through a memoir by Tiffany Jenkins: High Achiever: The Incredible True Story of One Addict’s Double Life

Through lies and ingenuity, Jenkins managed to stay high on opioids for several years while living with a sheriff’s deputy, but her desperate acts result in her withdrawing on the floor of the county jail, surrounded by her boyfriend’s friends. And this is where the memoir begins! The following pages detail her journey from a secret junkie to an extremely unpopular inmate to, finally, a life of sobriety.

‘THE CHELSEA GIRLS’

July 13, 2019 /

I requested early access to The Chelsea Girls: A Novel by Fiona Davis because I loved this author’s previous book, The Dollhouse. Thank you, NetGalley!

This new work of historical fiction is set in 1950’s New York. The Chelsea Hotel is a haven for artists, actors, and creative types. Hazel (an aspiring playwright) and Maxine (an aspiring actress) live there after returning from a USO tour in Italy where they entertained soldiers towards the end of WWII. While Hazel pens a play inspired by their time in Italy and Maxine (now a big star) takes the leading role, the novel moves into McCarthyism and its quest to find communist infiltration in the “arts” and the effects, immediate and longer-lasting, of these investigations.

“Screenwriters became typists to earn a buck. Brilliant actors sold shoes to make a living.”

MY FAVORITE 5 BOOKS SINCE I STARTED THIS BLOG 3 YEARS AGO

July 10, 2019 /

Three summers — and 185 posts ago — ago I started “Leslie’s Bookcase” with this post about old books. I had been working on my graduate degree in English literature for several years and was reading mostly older books. This blog was going to (and has) filled the void of reading and discussing books after earning my degree.

After blogging for one year and realizing, however, that readers (including me) prefer reading about new books, I celebrated my first blogoversary by writing about how I loved new books.

This year I am celebrating by choosing my FAVORITE 5 BOOKS since starting this blog. At the end of every year I name my five favorites published that year; the “published in this year” keeps my selection process defined from year to year. So many older books I have discovered or even read a year later weren’t eligible for my annual post. But for this post I am considering ALL THE BOOKS I have blogged about.

So here they are, MY FAVORITE 5 BOOKS SINCE STARTING THIS BLOG:

FINISHED THE GILEAD TRILOGY

July 6, 2019 /

I have not gotten too far into my summer reading list because I was finishing up a slower paced reading project: Lila: A Novel which completes the Gilead trilogy. Gilead won the Pulitzer several years ago. I posted about it here.

SUMMER READING LIST

June 15, 2019 /

I’ve been compiling my summer reading list for some time on my goodreads page but am just now presenting it officially.

For my seasonal reading lists I pick books that look interesting, enjoyable, and will hopefully add something to my life even if it’s just insight into a particular time and place of history. So if you are looking for mindless beach reads you will want to find a different list though I can recommend this book. I do hope you will find a book or more that interest you on this list and will read along with me this summer. Be sure to follow my blog; I will post more on these books as I read through my list (no spoilers).

Publishers notes are in block quotes. You can click on the titles or book covers to find out more and/or to purchase on Amazon.

‘A FINE BALANCE’ – AN UNFORGETTABLE BOOK

June 10, 2019 /

The book I recently finished, A Fine Balance, ranks in my favorite reads ever.

This novel is a sweeping portrait of India in the 1970s with its corruption, tragedy, poverty, caste violence, and all the other turmoil and sadness you can imagine.

Two tailors have moved to the overpopulated “city by the sea” for its perceived opportunities. They find a job sewing for a widow, Dina, who also takes in a university student as a boarder to make ends meet. It is ultimately the story of four people who, through shared circumstances, move from strangers to soul friends.

PAULA MCLAIN BOOK EVENT

May 29, 2019 /

Tonight I had the wonderful opportunity to hear bestselling author Paula McLain speak. She is best known for The Paris Wife, historical fiction from the perspective of Ernest Hemingway’s first wife Hadley. McLain is now promoting her newest novel, Love and Ruin, which I have already read and included in my favorite books of 2018.

Following my usual rules for attending a book event I arrived early, sat in the back, and was therefore the very first person to get my book signed; this certainly capped off my amazing experience (more on this later).

Leslie's Bookcase

Page 11 of 29

‘THE GOWN’ – FOR FANS OF “THE CROWN”

A PAT CONROY BOOK’S JOURNEY FULL CIRCLE

‘CITY OF GIRLS’

‘HIGH ACHIEVER’ – THE INCREDIBLE TRUE STORY OF ONE ADDICT’S DOUBLE LIFE

‘THE CHELSEA GIRLS’

MY FAVORITE 5 BOOKS SINCE I STARTED THIS BLOG 3 YEARS AGO

FINISHED THE GILEAD TRILOGY

SUMMER READING LIST

‘A FINE BALANCE’ – AN UNFORGETTABLE BOOK

PAULA MCLAIN BOOK EVENT

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