I ended myhalf-year reading round-up with Liam Callanan’s Paris by the Book; between that title and thetitles I mentioned in my last post, I’ve failed to record some fifteen or so books. Too bad, because many of these deserve a recommendation. So let’s see if I can catch up quickly as I post about my more recent reading.
I’ve just finished Sonia Choquette’s Waking Up in Paris: Overcoming Darkness in the City of Light. If you’re a fan or follower of Choquette and her work as a spiritual advisor, you will probably enjoy this as a narrative of re-making a life (in her case, after a painful divorce) by trusting one’s intuition. I’ll admit that Paris (or travel, at least) has always been my back-pocket plan for dealing with potential marital trauma — anyone else think alike? Sure, I might have to rely overly on my charge card, but what’s a little debt when the heart’s breaking? (Okay, yeah, dangerous thinking. . . )
Years ago, at the height of my Parisophilia, I loved Suzie Gershman’s memoir, C’est la Vie, about moving to Paris after the death of her husband — and honestly, I think it’s the stronger of the two memoirs (I remember reading a passage from Gershman’s memoir out loud to Pater through tears). But I’m a sucker for this genre and I enjoyed Choquette’s iteration well enough. Five or ten years ago, I’d happily have paid for my own copy, hardback even. My recommendation for you now would probably be to borrow it from your library, as I did.
Catch-up Title for Today:
Robin Wall Kimmerer’s Braiding Sweetgrass: Indigenous Wisdom, Scientific Knowledge, and the Teachings of Plants. This is such a rich and rewarding collection of essays by a Distinguished Professor of Environmental and Forest Biology at SUNY who draws on her heritage as Potawatomi as well as on her commitments and concerns as a mother to show us ways that humanity can contribute positively to the environment, to a sustainable ecology. She does this by telling stories that entertain and illustrate and educate — and reveal what plants can teach us. I posted a photo of the bookon Instagram some time ago, along with a comment about the book (which, in turn, drew some interesting comments from others): I was hooked by “the fascinating narratives of pecan propagation—do these trees synchronize their mast fruiting by talking to each other? Indigenous wisdom held this but was scoffed at by scientists who now are acknowledging possibilities that such conversation might happen on the winds or underground.”
This is one I highly recommend — it lays out a daunting situation, yes, but it offers hope that we might contribute to productive re-wilding of the planet — and while I was pleased to be able to get a copy from the library (I waited and waited, having put it on hold months ago — a long waiting list, this one’s popular!), I find myself wishing I had my own copy to go back and reread, or to share with others. . .
Thank you for the recommendation of Wall Kimmerer's book-it must be very interesting,so it goes to the (neverending…) list
I've read Sonia Choquettes Walking Home about Camino de Santiago pilgrimage (and, I think, written here about it),so I believe you about Susie Gershman's book
A lot of people are writing about Pamela Druckerman's There Are No Grown Ups (and I've read it before,but after my favourite croatian mystery writer's- Pavao Pavlicic – In Praise of Old Age),so I decided to read her French Children Don't Throw Food.I've started with the crisis of seventies,through crisis of forties to the childhood (and no,unfortunately,I have no grandchildren at the moment),but one has to be prepared,no?
Than there are some of High Heels Sue's recommendations : (seconded by nohatnogloves) Duchess of Devonshire's Counting My Chickens-finished-and Mary S. Lovell's The Sisters-in the process… (but I google so much that it'll last till Christmas, I'm afraid)
Dottoressa
Your second sentence is priceless — the understatement that says so much, makes me chuckle.
You always have so many good suggestions — really wish someone would start translating the Croatian writers into English!
I've had other recommendations of Paris By the Book so I'll have to reserve it for when I get back from Paris. Like you, I have an entire Paris fiction and nonfiction section as well as art books and museum guides in my personal library. I'm trying not to collect books now but I am often tempted.
I was overexposed to self-help books in the 1990's when Monsieur worked at Banyen. Ironically, it coincided with some major disruptions in our lives (an affair and a hospitalization) so needless to say it's a genre that I avoid most of the time.
We were recently on a road trip through the very smoky Kootenays where I visited an independent bookstore in Nelson. I love independent bookstores in smaller towns. I bought and read Mr. Rochester by Sarah Shoemaker, House of Names by Colm Toibin and The Winner's Circle by Gail Bowen. Mr. Rochester is a retelling of Jane Eyre from a different point of view. It's probably not as well-written as Wide Saragasso Sea by Jean Rhys but it was an engaging read on the road. House of Names is a totally different setting for Toibin whose Norah Webster and Brooklyn I
enjoyed reading. It's a retelling of the story of Agamemnon and Clytemenestra from the point of view of Orestes and Electra. Since I am familiar with both stories, there are no surprises with the plot in either book but they are both well-written and offer some different insights into character. With Toibin's book, there was frequent mention of the "old gods" moving into the background and I kept looking to a parallel
with the recession of the Catholic Church in Ireland (or it might be all the talk of the Pope's visit this week-end).
I haven't read a Gail Bowen mystery for years and I was surprised that she is still writing. Years ago, she and L.R. Wright seemed to be our only Canadian mystery writers. It's a Saskatchewan mystery and I often enjoy the setting as much as the plot
in a mystery. With that thought, my book club is discussing Full Disclosure by Beverly McLachlan on Monday. It's a light read (one afternoon) reminiscent of a a Sue Grafton mystery (Kinsey Milhone in Vancouver) but there are all sorts of retro-Vancouver references. I'm not sure what we'll discuss but it's my less serious evening book club so there's always wine.
I've a stack to return to the library and another for the used book store. I really should record my titles but….I must put some more reserves in for the fall. I'll try some of Dottoressa's and Sue's recommendations as well. Happy Reading!
Oh, I can easily imagine that aversion to self-help books, especially amplified by the circumstances — I'm not generally keen on them at the best of times.
We keep saying we're going to get to Nelson and when I do, I'll look out for that bookstore. We almost bought an independent bookstore in a small city years and years ago. . . .I love them too.
For some reason, I stopped reading Gail Bowen's mysteries, but I always liked them and should check out the recent ones — I so miss L.R. Wright — ages since she and her wonderful mystery novels left us. . .
As long as we have our eyesight, we're not likely to be bored. . .