Vive Gamache!

My sister and I are going on an early birthday trip to Quebec next week. The first part of the trip will be to do some whale watching where the Saguenay Fjord meets the St. Lawrence River, close to the town of Tadoussac.

After our marine adventures, we will turn back to the Eastern Townships, an area east of the city of Montreal. We will be in search of the village that is the inspiration for the setting of the Inspector Gamache mystery series by our favourite author, Louise Penny. We are sorry to be missing the launch of her latest book (only by a week!) at Brome Lake Books in Knowlton, but we will drop in to the bookstore to soak up the atmosphere! www.bromelakebooks.ca

The first book in the series is Still Life which introduces the quirky inhabitants in the village of Three Pines. Louise Penny writes an intelligent mystery as she explores the inner workings of the human heart.

 

Her best book (in my estimation) so far, stunningly written with history woven into a modern day plot, is Bury Your Dead. Don't read this title first, as it is worth the effort to make your way through the series in order (see below).

From Louise Penny on her website:  http://www.louisepenny.com

I'm often asked two questions: should the books be read in order? And, what is the order?
Both excellent questions. At the risk of appearing to want you to buy more books let me say that while it's not necessary to read them in any particular order (they're designed to be self-standing) there is quite a strong character development arc. I think you'd enjoy the books even more if read in order.
Now, here's the order, from the first to the most recent:

STILL LIFE
A FATAL GRACE / DEAD COLD
THE CRUELEST MONTH
A RULE AGAINST MURDER / THE MURDER STONE
THE BRUTAL TELLING
BURY YOUR DEAD
A TRICK OF THE LIGHT
Note that some of the titles vary between the Canadian/U.S. publications

Read any good books lately?

When I meet with friends, this question always comes up: read any good books lately? I am always interested in what other people are reading. There are those whose reading interests match my own, but I also get pushed by some to venture out in search of undiscovered treasures.

My first adult book review for this blog is one such treasure. Cutting for stone by Abraham Verghese, is set in Ethiopia and New York City and follows the lives of twins, Shiva and Marion, who become doctors on two different continents. How the brothers evolve from being orphaned and adopted by Indian doctors on staff at the Missing Hospital in Addis Ababa, to finding their way through political turmoil and personal loss into adulthood, is at the heart of the book. Written by a doctor who grew up in Ethiopia, this work of fiction has compelling characters (the parents of the twins have a saga of their own) and an absorbing plot. Most intriguing to me was the way in which the medical procedures were described so that I could experience being an observer and not feel like I needed a surgical textbook to understand what is transpiring.

The fact that my daughter-in-law, Hannah, (who is a medical school intern) and my son, Andrew, were in Ethiopia last summer made reading this book even more interesting. Hannah shadowed for a week at a hospital dedicated to addressing a critical medical condition, common among women in this developing country, termed obstetric fistula. Imagine my surprise when I read about how the one brother in the novel, who stays behind in Ethiopia, develops an interest in the fistula repair procedure.

Follow this link if you are interested in learning more about the Addis Ababa Fistula Hospital: http://www.hamlinfistula.org/our-hospital.html

More about the author, Abraham Verghese, at:  http://www.abrahamverghese.com

Book stores and blog postings

 Should I try to stack my books in the same manner, 

instead of the untidy piles I have in various rooms?

I have a list of book stores to visit some day. For now, I usually access them on the Internet. For instance, Tattered Cover Book Store http://www.tatteredcover.com/ I've heard about this store from a friend who used to live in Denver, Colorado. From what I've heard, I could go in and not come out for days! I've "liked" Tattered Cover Facebook page and get lots of postings that are book or library related. Often these posts are reblogged from somewhere else and I'm trying to learn the technology behind blogs so I can just reblog a favorite. For now, this is just a "cut and paste" This book illustration is a recent posting from: http://angledart.tumblr.com/post/5035534879

Readers in my life

There are many readers in my life and I have been preparing for the arrival of two who will show up on my doorstep tomorrow. Joshua and John will demand that I share with them about what books I've been reading! My process is a little different from what I usually do to get ready for coffee with a friend who is much a reader as I am, which is usually writing out a recent list of books that have captured my imagination.

However, in preparation for these young gentleman, and their Texas cousins, I go on a treasure hunt in the children's department of my public library. My grandsons know what they like - solid story lines, vivid illustrations, and an animated narrator! Their young minds are ready to engage, so their Oma has to be ready.

On Tuesday night, I have books about dinosaurs, firefighters, and a green monster set to go.

I'd like to recommend a couple of books that were big hits from a previous reading session:

Press here by Hervé Tullet (clever text that encourages young readers with interactive instructions to press the colorful dots on the pages, then shift the book this way and that to see where the dots will move - very engaging)







Jake goes peanuts by Michael Wright (Jake is a picky eater. My daughter and I had to laugh about the reference to Jake's dislike of tuna casserole. His parents try a diet of everything peanut butter, which convinces the little boy that maybe a variety of foods
isn't such a bad thing) 








So here's to snuggling up with a some of my favorite readers and sharing some really good books!

My adventurous readers are: Jojo, Joshua, Zeke, and John

A New Season

For everything there is a season, a time for every activity under heaven. Ecclesiastes 3:1

The time has come to starting writing in earnest and so I begin. This blog will be a place to report on writing projects, to record my thoughts on books I've read, and to ponder life.

I am grateful to my family and friends for the encouragement to pursue my passions. For years as I completed my education and finally got my Masters to become a librarian, I had a cheering section with husband Phil leading the squad. Even now, when I scan the employment opportunities, I am able to call upon my "people" to pray for me as I go for interviews. Thank you! I feel the same way about those special people who urge me on in the areas in which I believe God has gifted me.

My dear friend Sylvia has once again challenged me to stop saying I'm going to write ... (you name it) a book, a short story, a paragraph ... and just do it. So here it is. My beginning.