A Room Of Books

The ghost nurse, Isabel Taplin, is very real. Not hearing her voice doesn't matter. Unfortunately, she was murdered and left in the woods. The other characters, men patients, are interesting. It is very easy to feel close to David, Albert, Morgan and the others. Finally, The book is amazing. I can't wait to read another book by this author.  Thank you for the book.

Who hasn't thought about time? We talk about time, write about time, sing about time and the list goes on because time is important. Some of us are afraid of schedules.  Just the word deadline can make us sweat. We go to doctors. We hope to gain a longer life by improving our health. Here are more thoughts about time. Play a piano? Use a metronome. It's all about time. I respect time for whatever reason. The list goes on. Maybe if we take time out to learn about time it will beome a friend and not an enemy. In Time 2 Go , Max Sampson writes seventeen points about time management. It's nonfiction, but it reads like fiction. He has a very good writing style.

Orkney.  More than an oil painting, it's a puzzle. It's just rough around the edges. Old fashioned? No! Quite different from what you might think. There is a bathroom, a swinging bulb and Wi-Fi. As an extra, there is a blustery goose with three eggs not yet hatched but definitely live birds. How impossible to believe Brid  could throw the goose family out. By the way, Brid isn't a witch. This place for sale doesn't border on romantic. The cottage seems like long dark rooms striving to get rid of darkness and join the light. Really, the cottage is disappointing. I do feel good about the tin tub. She can bathe in a small way.  The shopping trip is fun. Although, you don't really know what Brid has bought until she gets back to Jennet's cottage. It's not enough time in an Orkney day to write everything down.

Betsan's mother is a seamstress. Today she has to finish a wedding gown. Unfortunately, she is becoming very ill. The cough only gets worse. Then, a fever erupts. The children are kept by a neighbor. The Father makes a run for a doctor. It's all very serious. The sewing machine is the embodiment of family love while struggling to live through each day. It is a magnificent novel. Do not miss it.

Extraordinary means ordinary in Coronation Close. It is like your forever neighborhood. You know one another. So, when one man stands staring at one particular door you get involved. After all Jenny knows quite a bit about Thelma, her neighbor. What does the stranger want? Is he a dangerous spy? Coronation Close, the novel, is very British. Places and names interrupt the story. According to how much "English" you want in your book. Arrividerchi.

Seems like the name Strawberry Hill Farm would keep the sky sunny and bright. It is such a delightful name. Sadly, a farm moniker can not grow a farm. It takes a heap of sunshine and not too much rain. Unfortunately,  Flora and Grams can not control the weather. However, they can give out love vibes to their friends, one another and the past. Those vibrations are as pure and rich as a good wine. They are still loving the Rossi family after many years. At the moment, a red Ferrari driven by Nico Rossi is gathering all the excitement while Grams and Flora hide their tears. By the way,  Strawberry Hill Farm is a hundred years old. It will take dogged determination to keep it going. Of course, that is always true of farm life. Each day is a surprise. By the way, here is an Italian word. Prego.  By the way, the Bartons, Flora and Grams, home is in England. No wonder the novel is magical. England and Italy sparkle with serendipity.

College friends meet up every year to renew their friendships. This time it is a winter setting in New Hampshire.  When there is a gathering like this one, it is not surprising when secrets jump out of a bag and land in front of everybody. One tip is not to allow the holder of all that knowledge know you are scared witless for the secret to become known.  One guest is a surgical nurse. For her sake I hope the snow does not come down too fast. Then, there is Ryan. He is a guest who attracts not just a hello. There are feelings about him all around the room. It is easy to tell the nights and days will unload surprises. Unfortunately, surprises are not always good. The Last Trip by Rowen Chambers is a sparkling mystery. One that begins with excitement. There is no telling where it will end.  

 Allegra is a little girl who is not living a wonderful childhood. Both parents have decided to go their separate ways. It is clearly spoken Allegra is just an extra piece of luggage.The grandmother will take her just, I suppose, so she will not feel guilty. As these circumstances occur, the word love is never spoken. For a little girl, Allegra is strong. She seems use to getting in the way and then, pushed aside.With very few words a clear picture is given about Allegra's Naval father and her mother who is unsettled in mind and spirit, Through serendipity, I hope life will change for Allegra.

 She loves the griffin. This is exciting. It means Hecate thinks differently from other men and women. Hecate will work in the cathedral's library. She is bewitched with awe as she looks at the rare and beautiful books. It  does seem like the perfect job: the quiet, friendly conversations, hymns and most of all, purpose. Hecate adores medieval maps.Yes, the library is definitely where she should work. Mysteries deliciously cloud the room. There is a locked case. Inside are books. It definitely excites the curiosity. The Master Librarian knows exactly what he wants done and how to succeed at the duty, For now, Hecate is only dusting chairs and desks. This is a delightful book. It's a treasure.  I believe everyone will enjoy it.

 She finds a male stranger inside her home. She is not sure of herself. So, she questions whether her head is on straight. I am not sure what's going on here. From the title, the woman has married more than once. Perhaps, she meets them all again under different circumstances. Is this a good experience? I don't know. Oh, maybe husband is defined differently. Maybe? Now, that's pertinent information. She's drunk. I don't think she's drunk. It's a reason for what is happening. And there is much happening: different floor color, new coffeepot and table and chairs different. I can't think what has happened to this woman. She must have been very drunk. I'm waiting for the husband to say something significant. At least, he didn't share a bed with her. He seems there  to stay. Well, he's not in a hurry to leave.

An old and rare book is  out on the streets. The title of the book is "The Book of Doors".It's called a magic book. Cassie ,a bookstore worker, is given the book by an old gentleman named Mr. Webber. He is sitting at a table quietly looking through books and holds this one,"The Book Of Doors," beside him. He is a regular visitor to this bookstore.He has conversed with Cassie a few times. This time there meeting is different. Something sad and unexpected happens. After work, Cassie looks through the book with her friend Izzy. Surprisingly, their door opens to another door where there is a Venice street. Shocked is the emotion shown by the ladies.Gareth Brown certainly has turned our eyes to his novel. Whether we like magical objects or books there is the desire to read what will happen next. There have been many books written about the supernatural. So, this book might not kick our legs up in the air. From the book you can feel a certain aura reaching out to you

 These are sentimental times. They are remembered and longed for again. Something in the poems inspires a good cry. A time to reach back for an old love. They are not afraid of self pity. It is a song. Some of the poems are like stories. These are about the war and friends. Companions shared in conversation. If loneliness is here, It is mellow. Needs surpass any hunger for deception. If you want a new family, you remarry. Everything is alright.You did what you had to do and more. The poems are lovely and deep as the water in a well. Jack and Jill went up the hill to fetch a pail of water...Meet Dante Alighieri.

 There is a curse hanging over every Bridge baby boy who is born. Any of those Bridges might fall back. This is what has happened to Millie's brother Isaiah, we think. What an awful curse. It's like the killings of every two year old who was an Israelite. This is beyond sad. One can hope there is a way to compromise, or are my thoughts too pessimistic? Oh my, I can only cry wet tears if this could happen in my family. While reading this Historical Fiction book, your book enthusiasm will grow larger than it already is in and  you might become more protective of the boys in your family.

Refugees face many hardships. One is experiencing people who put them in a box. They are not allowed to acquaint themselves with a new way of living. We must learn to see them as more than only Vietnamese. The Vietnamese know their plight. Some see their homeland as loss to them. While they are here learning a new way of life. It is an adjustment. This Poetry is thoughtful and has many dimensions. After the war, there must have been "thirty six" ways to look at the pain of their lives. We must not forget these people we once knew. Their sorrows are many as are ours which means, whether we know it or not, we have much in common.  

These Pacific Northwest poems sparkle. One line immediately catches my eye. In one poem  the poet writes about grass.  He likens it to what we do not, perhaps, want to think about while we are looking at grass. That is amphetamines. The one verse is a chance to examine our feelings about speed. You might never have used this speed, but it gives you the chance to look at your grassy lawn differently. We take so much for granted. Michael Dickman gives us the chance to take another look at what we see every single day. The whole poem gives a new look at nature and people. The city does have people and objects that will widen the mind. In the end he writes "It's good to be here." Whether we like what he chooses to look at or not there is the chance to see our world in a different way. Would you happen to have a "can of spaghetti?" See, it is really about seeing our world honestly.

 Usually, I do not write about a cover of a book. This cover haunts me. Putting it away only causes the need to see it again. It arouses my interest. So, I must turn to the poems. Each one as deep as the ocean. Each one wringing my brain like the water in a tub of shirts and socks. With words about the state of prisoners my mind is blasted open. I look to see if they are at my feet.  Thank you to Gregory Pardlo for entering my mind and giving it organization and clarity. Whether it is in a hushed voice or spoken extremely loudly there is the constant thought of mankind , no less for black mankind and woman: There is our survival, and our huge, traveling spirits. Tituba is here! As are the Scythians. I weep thinking of the branded blind slaves. What could have saved them or was it a time of destiny? Tituba speaks to all women. I think Tituba is my most favorite woman mentioned. I will know when I reread this poem what has touched my soul. Yes, children, never forgotten.              aid

 Charlie is leaving Lancashire for New York. It is her first time visiting there. She is so excited. In her shoes, I would feel the same way. The trip on the plane goes well. Everything is great until she figures it out. Harry Taylor is not there to meet her.  It is such a horrible feeling to experience what is happening to her. She spends hours at the airport and find she does not have enough information with her. The story goes on. Although I have never had this experience, I almost feel her pain. It is a wonderful book. We definitely learn about Charlie.When all we want to know is where is Harry. Walking this woman back and forth as she tries to think what to tell her parents, etc. leaves the heart pumping faster and faster. You really feel like crying for her. This is not the way I pictured her New York Christmas. By the way, Lancashire is near London.

One of the main writers in "God's Ghostwriters'' by Candida Moss is Paul. He too had helpful writers walking behind him. It can not remain unsaid. There are the enslaved who write too. Most of us love and respect Paul. We know about his life because he shares it in his letters.  It is hard for us to believe he is disliked and terribly misunderstood by some people in Ephesus and other places like Corinth. His message just rubbed these people the wrong way. I suppose he wonders what will happen when he gets to Rome. For sure, the hate will grow louder. Chastity is not a favorite topic for most men and women. We do know he will find himself in a Roman dungeon. This book explains the lives of writers who followed along with authors. It also includes the enslaved. I wonder should these people not have a chance to hear a thank you from our Modern countries and cities. They were very needed and not easy to find. Not every person could write and read in Rome and

  Jared is a professional painter. One painting focuses on Christ. Jared looks at his paintings with a philosophical eye. For this reason they have become more than colors and paint slapped on a brush. His thoughts are far deeper than I could go. His way of thinking about his painted images challenged my mind. His wife is an artist too. Jared chooses his models with great care. The way we choose to look at sex is here. These people share their values openly.  His wife, Diane's Psychotherapist, does not think Jared looks at his women models with the respect due them. He listens. The two women are on the opposite side of a brick wall. I do not think all of them will ever agree. There is much hear about the classicists. Jared is very there when he joins himself with the old masters. What a mix there is when one strives to stay oneself, while remaking the world in your image. I was shocked that Diane willingly shared her private sanctuary with Jared. This is not a lightweight novel, bu

These stories move the emotions. They are like a swing that does not stop swinging. Each one I have read has been meaningful. There are not too many characters. The dialogue is easy to follow. With all of that goodness, the stories stab our reality. It is like a piece of our heart has been taken and measured for pain and joy. In one story, a man is in the hospital visiting his ex-wife. She is dying. What should he say? He chooses honesty. He recalls all the pain she caused him. Does she hear him?  So, there is a way through hard circumstances. There, you can choose to hide your feelings or let them show. The way he chose left no pain for him and we hope no pain for her. Of course, there is more than one way to look at a story. These are classic for a book discussion. Also, blocked memories become unblocked and those times relived.