Torontoc tries again to read more books from her shelves

Last year I didn't reach my goal of reading 30 books that I had owned for six months or longer. ( I read 22) I will try again. Last year was not a good year for the number of books read but I did enjoy those that I read.
So this year my goal is still- 30 books to read from my shelves!

Happy ROOTing this year, and good luck with your goal!

Happy ROOTing, go get those ROOTS!

Welcome back and have a great reading year!

Happy to see you back and may the reading enjoyment remain high!

Good luck for your 2024 reading!

Welcome back and good luck with your goal!

O.K. first reread and a book that I own!
1. The Marriage Portrait by Maggie O'Farrell I reread this book for my upcoming book club meeting. And it is still superbly written. Based on real historical characters, Lucrezia di Cosimo De' Medici Este did marry Alfonzo 11 of Ferrara and was dead after one year of marriage. This story depicts the way a very young unworldly teenager would respond to situations that she had no control over. In this novel, Lucrezia is a very talented artist and does take chances within the confines of her sheltered upbringing in the nursery of her ruling class parents in Florence. Sent to marry Alfonzo, her responses to her new surroundings and dangerous husband show innocence at first and later measured responses that protect her. O'Farrell comments in her end notes that Lucrezia's older sister and cousin met with mysterious deaths and could have been murdered by their husbands.

2. 84 Charing Cross Road by Helene Hanff I haven't read this book in a while but it just popped up at me while I was looking through my bookshelves. The author is a writer in New York City who has moderate success in writing for TV in the 1950's and 60's. The book is composed with her letters to Marks & Co., a rare and secondhand bookstore in London. Hanff has very eclectic tastes and she relies on the staff at Marks & Co. to find volumes for her. Her correspondent is Frank Doel who does his best to find and send what Helene wants to read. The letters are dated from 1949 to 1969.Helene sends food parcels to the staff as Britain still has rationing of food. She becomes friends with the staff promises to visit but never does. eventually Helene does write this book that consists of the letters that cover 20 years. After it is published she does make a trip to England but that journey is covered in her next book.

3.The Duchess of Bloomsbury Street by Helene Hanff Really this book is a sequel to her book on her correspondence with Marks & Co. Her book is so popular that Helene is invited by her publishers to visit London and give interviews. Of course, the friends that she has made invite her to visit them-including Frank Doel's wife Nora and her daughters. ( Frank had died tragically) Friends of friends invite Helene to dinners, plays and more. The kindness shown by so many people show how Helene has touched them by her book and her own personality. Helene's delight at visiting London and seeing places that are important to her remind me of my first trip to London. The sense of history and literature seem to be infused in her writing. A very nice read for me.

>9 torontoc: I remember really enjoying 84 Charing Cross and I'm pretty sure I promptly bought the Duchess of Bloomsbury Street which must be in a dusty corner of my library :)

>9 torontoc: Two very enjoyable reads, though it's been a long time for me. I still remember the part in The Duchess when she's invited to attend a get together by a business contact, who snaps "I'm not throwing a dinner party for you!"

>9 torontoc: I really enjoyed these two books when I read them, ages ago. I enjoyed being able to picture the road (if not the shop) as I used to walk up Charing Cross Rd regularly when I worked in central London.

4. One Hundred Saturdays Stella Levi and the Search for a Lost World by Michael Frank This is a reread for my upcoming book club. The author was introduced to Stella Levi in New York City. Over a number of years , he learned of her life in the Jewish Community on Rhodes. During World War 11 , all the Jewish inhabitants were transported to Auschwitz. Stella was one who survived. The book is so interesting as Stella described the life that she led with her family in the Jewish quarter or Juderia. Customs, languages and life are all described as well the as interconnections among all the friends and relatives on Rhodes. An important read.

>13 torontoc: I bought this book for my wife as a Hanukkah present this year and she loved it. She's lent it out to our sister-in-law but hopefully we'll get it back sometime soon, and I'll read it then.

>14 rocketjk: it was so interesting!
5. The Word is Murder by Anthony Horowitz I reread this mystery for my RL book club. And again it was a really good read. I couldn't figure out the murderer until it was revealed at the end of the story but it did make sense. The author puts himself into the novel as the writer who is asked by the private detective, Daniel Hawthorne, to write about him. I enjoyed this mystery for the second time!

6. All The Shining People by Kathy Friedman This book of short stories focuses on the children and the parents who moved from South Africa to Canada. I thought that the final stories were the best. Many of the stories just ended with no resolution. I was not happy about this format. The final two stories did use life in South Africa as a focus.

7. The Beauty Queen of Jerusalem by Sarit Yishai-Levi and translated by Anthony Berris I thoroughly enjoyed this novel about four generations of women who lived in Jerusalem in the 20th century. The Ermosa family had been in Jerusalem since the expulsion of Jews from Spain. They spoke Ladino and kept the traditions of a Sephardi household. There is much drama as the men must marry Sephardi women. Many of the men had been attracted to women of Ashkenazi background( Eastern European) but married brides that were selected by their mothers. There is much conflict with loveless marriages, and bad choices but still a desire to support their extended families. The stories within stories give the reader a background on the history of the women in the Ermosa family. A very good read

8. Tomorrow and Tomorrow and Tomorrow by Gabrielle Zevin I know nothing about gaming but this novel is wonderful. Sadie Green meets Sam Masur when she is visiting her sister in the hospital. Sam is dealing with injuries from a car accident. Due to a misunderstanding they don't meet again until they are both in college in Boston. They both create games and they become very successful business partners moving from Cambridge to California as their work changes the structure of game playing. Helped by their close associate, Marx, Sadie and Sam have successes, tragedy and failures in work and relationships. The story traces their lives for over thirty years. The writing is so good and I was engaged in this work.Highly recommended.

>18 torontoc: I loved this one too!

>18 torontoc: That sounds like an interesting read. I have to try and find it with some help from my brother.

>19 rabbitprincess:, >20 connie53:, I am going to look for Zevin's other books!

9. Field Notes from An Unintentional Birder by Julia Zarankin This is a reread for my in person book club and.. I still love this memoir. The reader learns not only about the progress of the author's fascination and education in bird watching but also about her life. She relates what she has learned about herself. This story is also about how Zarankin becomes a dedicated bird watcher and what she does in order to view the many species of birds that she learns both from others and her own study. Highly recommended.