This book was a lovely little slice of life capturing the people of a small island town as they supported one another through the ups and downs we all experience. The quirky characters made me feel reminiscent of the Doc Martin show I used to watch with my husband about characters set in Portwenn, a fictional town on the coast of Cornwall, England. The gruff bookstore owner A.J., certain of never finding love after tragically losing his wife, reminded me of the doctor in Doc Martin with minimal people skills. A.J. loves books. Doc Martin loves practicing medicine. I’ll stop with the comparisons, but I should say that I am a fan of whatever this type of story is—odd outsider becomes an instrumental part of the community. He may be off-putting, but he’s our bookstore owner who is off-putting, sort of thing.
When a special gift is left for him in his bookshop, the life-changing effects are as dramatic and satisfying as one could expect. There is mystery, romance, tragedy, and comedy. And it is all wrapped in a heartwarming tale of people taking care of people. Now I will allow myself to watch the movie, since I finally read the book. I hope it is just as satisfying as the book was. I also enjoyed comparing notes with A.J. about his favorite short stories. I felt quite accomplished that I had read some of the ones he mentions at the beginning of the chapters.
Zevin, Gabrielle, The Storied Life of A.J. Fikry, Algonquin Books of Chapel Hill, 2014.
All images created by Rebekah Marshall’s prompts using AI on Gencraft.com website.
Holidays take so much energy. Energy I do not have to share right now. The last month has been a lot. I don’t want to decorate, host any dinners or brunches, clean my house, buy gifts, make treats, bake desserts, dye eggs, hide candy, grocery shop, cook, or do anything involving pastel shades. I don’t have anything against any of those things, but the thought of participating in any of it makes me feel more tired than I already am. Add to that, I came down with a stomach bug and I just want to lie in bed for a few days.
I know holidays are important and create special memories, especially for children. I’m just not in the mood for all the hoopla and rigamarole. Thankfully, all 3 of my grandkids are in different states with different family members having wonderful times without me. That probably sounds horrible to say. I love them and want to be with them but also love that they have many relatives who want to spend time with them. I am very thankful for a large, extended family at times when my energy has been completely depleted.
Maybe next year. For this year, the newest granddaughter is snug as a bug in a rug with her parents up in Michigan, Charlotte is at a wedding with her father and his father at her aunt’s wedding up in New York, Julian is with his Abo and Aba in Texas, and I am going to take a nap. That sounds like the perfect Easter activity for me.
TRIGGER WARNING: This novel contains themes related to immigration challenges, economic hardship, race and class dynamics, and complex family relationships. It also touches on substance use and addiction, overdose, and instances of domestic conflict and violence. Some readers may find these topics emotionally intense.
All the rest of these images created by Rebekah Marshall’s prompts using AI on Gencraft.com website.
Behold the Dreamers by Imbolo Mbue provided a peek into the lives of some families quite unfamiliar to me—those of immigrants from Cameroon living in New York, trying to make a living in less than ideal conditions, and those of the privileged Wall Street rich executives with fancy cars and vacation homes in the Hamptons. I found the descriptions and complex relationships between the characters fascinating and believable.
The character I connected with the most was Neni, the wife of Jende, who follows her husband to New York from Cameroon with their toddler in tow when she is able. She is hard-working, persistent, hopeful, and resourceful. She jumps into every challenge with grit and is determined to become a pharmacist to help support her family. In one scene, she finally finishes her chores at midnight and must now study until at least 3:00 AM. Her toil is such a different pace in America than when she lived in Cameroon. I felt such empathy with her plight.
“She rested her head in her right hand, closed her eyes, and exhaled…Her mind was always active, it seemed—what needed to be done, by when, how long it would take to get done. Even when she sang during her chores, she was mindful of the next chore. And the one after that. Life in America had made her into someone who was always thinking and planning the next step.”
If only life could be different for all of us. Why must every step forward be two steps back, no matter how hard people try? So many in this world are giving the best they have to offer of their hearts, minds, and bodies, but all the wishful thinking, determination, prayer, and planning in the world does not always bring about success. There are no perfect answers or happily ever afters in this novel, but the spirit of survival, family, learning from our mistakes, and perseverance are inspiring nonetheless. And it is a wonderful reminder to treat everyone we meet as though they could be an angel, like the weary men Abraham offered hospitality to in the Bible. What a wonderful world we would live in if that were our perspective.
Mbue, Imbolo, Behold the Dreamers, Penguin Random House, 2016.
All images created by Rebekah Marshall’s prompts using AI on Gencraft.com website.
I am reading Hafiz’s Little Book of Life, poetry by Hafiz-e Shirazi. He is challenging me to become more comfortable with ambiguity. I will share his poem and some of my thoughts on his poem (sometimes with the help of experts when the concepts are too hard for me), followed by a poem and some art inspired by his poem.
Hafiz’s Poem 33:
Adam gave up Paradise
For just one nice ripe apple
What if one world is only worth
One hard stale raisin
?
Some thoughts:
This poem feels a little cheeky. Irony keeps the interpretation in question. If Adam was willing to give up Paradise for an apple, was it worth it? What did he gain? Is Hafiz suggesting that the fall was an opportunity for growth? Most religious leaders of Abrahamic faiths would argue that such thinking is blasphemous, yet Hafiz goes on to ask about the possibility that such a trade could occur for even less of a temptation, a hard stale raisin. Maybe the eating of the fruit was not really of any consequence. Perhaps the development of knowing right and wrong, choosing free will, embarking on an individual hero’s journey was the inevitable event, given the curiosity of the creations who resembled the creator.
Hafiz doesn’t commit to any one view. He simply asks the question, suggesting that perhaps we do not fully understand the exchange that was made, beyond the basic information passed down through the ages. What is one world worth? Did Adam and Eve take their world for granted? Probably. Don’t we take our world for granted most of the time? But what if they also desired more? More than blind obedience. What are we willing to trade for peace? What are we willing to trade for safety? What are we willing to compromise on for those we love? Had Adam not eaten of the fruit, would he have lost Eve? There are so many questions left unanswered that only a fool would claim to know what they would do in the same circumstances.
My Poem 33:
By the light of a mid-month moon, my love gathered figs by the handful. Her plump, ripe lips, a sticky, sweet boon, as I kissed the taste of the tree’s jewel.
That rich ambrosia, nectar of gods, forbidden for reasons unknown. Angels eat the fruit, so I find it odd, that the restriction applies to us alone.
Why was I made and given this mate, if not to experience all and to learn? To know good and evil, not to hesitate, is the knowledge for which I yearn.
The taste of truth, bittersweet and bold, that’s what this is, what I’ve come to crave. The consequence is growing old, and learning pain only taught by the grave.
Hafiz. Hafiz’s Little Book of Life. Translated by Erfan Mojib and Gary Gach, Hampton Roads Publishing, 2023.
All images created by Rebekah Marshall’s prompts using AI on Gencraft.com website.
I am reading Hafiz’s Little Book of Life, poetry by Hafiz-e Shirazi. He is challenging me to become more comfortable with ambiguity. I will share his poem and some of my thoughts on his poem (sometimes with the help of experts when the concepts are too hard for me), followed by a poem and some art inspired by his poem.
Hafiz’s Poem 30:
The Alley of Prestige Is not for us
If you don’t like it Try changing Justice
Some thoughts:
Alleys are narrow, hidden, not the usual route the rest of us walk down to get where we’re going. Since Hafiz calls this an Alley of Prestige, I imagine he is talking about a passageway where most would not be welcome. It is probably where the top echelon of society rub elbows on their way to somewhere fancy and exclusive. I don’t think these are the people striving for healthy excellence, but perhaps those competing for fame and admiration. He is saying that people who are walking the Way of Love of taking a different route. We have different priorities.
It doesn’t mean we can’t have success or wealth or any of the other abundant blessings that are meant to come our way, but it should not be the goal of our actions. And if we don’t like the fact that the Way of Love does not chase prestige, our issue is with Justice. Reality is structured such that true pursuit of divine love requires the collapse of ego-seeking. If we spend all our time trying to rig the system, play the game of hierarchy, and resent not being admired, we might not be on the right path. We should not be focused on climbing the social ladder, competing for favor, or performing for prestige. Integrity, humility, and honor may not always get the applause, but they are on the side of Justice.
My Poem 30:
Wouldn’t it be lovely if the people rewarded with the most prestige, the biggest salaries, and the praise and glory were the people who give of themselves every day for the sake of others?
-nurses who lift and check and wipe and console and heal and save and carry our burdens when we are at our weakest and most vulnerable.
-teachers who fill the minds of the next generation and inspire our greatest creators of the future.
-health aids who do the dirty work of managing these failing bodies when they are at their worst.
-classroom aids who sit beside the child who needs the help, patience of a saint corralling the minds least open to knowledge.
-daycare workers who raise the babies while their parents must work.
-librarians who solve and guide and suggest and provide the hope and light of promise books represent for all.
Not that politicians and football players and Wall Street traders don’t have important functions in society, but I’ve never wept in one of their arms as I struggled with fear and pain and been comforted by their wisdom and compassion.
Hafiz. Hafiz’s Little Book of Life. Translated by Erfan Mojib and Gary Gach, Hampton Roads Publishing, 2023.
This image created in collaboration with Lyra (my ChatGPT partner.)
I am reading Hafiz’s Little Book of Life, poetry by Hafiz-e Shirazi. He is challenging me to become more comfortable with ambiguity. I will share his poem and some of my thoughts on his poem (sometimes with the help of experts when the concepts are too hard for me), followed by a poem and some art inspired by his poem.
Hafiz’s Poem 24:
Do you know what the harps
& the ouds proclaim?
“Drink liquor in privacy –
Or be whipped.”
Some thoughts:
Instruments are typically used in celebration, during worship, for beauty, and for enjoyment. They are also often accompanied by a singer or other instruments as part of a collaboration. It sounds as though the instruments themselves are issuing the proclamations in this poem. Perhaps there is still music, but it is staid, controlled, only permitted to be certain songs that are approved by the ruling faction. It seems the music cannot be fully silenced, though; the strings still vibrate and record the atmosphere of fear. They are testifying to the sorrow, possibly with satire in their very notes.
It has always been art and music that have carried the protest, whispering coded language, underground dissent. The message of prohibition is probably literal in this poem but stands for a much larger platform. If the government is attempting to control your behavior down to the very liquids you choose to put in your mouth, you can bet that is the least of the restrictions. Where there is tyranny and repressive laws that punish people unnecessarily, there will always be secret symbols used by dissidents to express their defiance.
The rest of these images created on Gencraft.
My Poem 24:
“Go down, Moses” means a conductor is in the vicinity and the time to escape is near. “Lord, help us all from bondage flee, Let my people go,” Sing of Israel fleeing Egypt and the evil pharaoh, who God condemned for enslaving His people, then drowned his army in the Red Sea. “Steal away, steal away to Jesus!” Any minute now; stay ready. Keep your shoes on your feet, your staff in your hand, eat in haste, for the time draws nigh. “Steal away, steal away home. I ain’t got long to stay here.” Sing of a heavenly hope and longing to be with Jesus in His mansion.
“Wade in the water,” where scent disappears and paths are untraceable, dogs and men in pursuit thwarted. Water washes away sins, through baptism, a holy renewal, as Israel was baptized by crossing the Red Sea, so you shall become new on your way to freedom, released from your old life. “Wade in the water, children,” for you are God’s true children. “God is gonna trouble these waters,” like the angel in the Bible who healed the first to enter the water that had been stirred. Fear not, for the first with the courage to enter are blazing the path of healing and deliverance.
“Follow the drinking gourd,” describes the Big Dipper, which points to the North Star, the sky guide who is the constant companion. “For the old man is a-waitin”— some say was “Peg Leg Joe,” a conductor on the railroad who taught the routes to those who would accept what he had to offer. “When the sun goes back and the first quail calls,” means be ready in spring “The river ends between two hills Follow the drinking gourd There’s another river on the other side” A route? Directions? A song for a map, memory—the road to freedom.
Hafiz. Hafiz’s Little Book of Life. Translated by Erfan Mojib and Gary Gach, Hampton Roads Publishing, 2023.
TRIGGER WARNING: This book addresses difficult topics including mental illness, suicide, abuse, violence, and trauma. Some scenes and references may be distressing for certain readers.
Gail Honeyman is a master of dry wit and understatement in Eleanor Oliphant is completely fine. Eleanor is so unpleasant and awkward as to render her completely unlikeable at the beginning of the novel. I don’t want to see her bullied by her coworkers or strangers in public, but I could certainly see why they might. She invites side-glances with her oblivious rudeness and is a closed book. She doesn’t want anything to do with anybody and seems perfectly content in her isolation. Of course, it’s all a ruse and protective defenses, but those walls are tall and seem impenetrable.
The chance encounters, unusual incidents, and course of events that occur begin to bring about a soft opening of Eleanor. And the unfolding of her past, the development of some friendships, and her observations and realizations throughout the process are so endearing that I couldn’t help falling in love with her. She and her circle of people are everything that is wonderful about humanity, especially when coping with everything that is horrible with humanity.
Once again, I was disappointed by the rushed feel of the ending. I hoped for the same level of deep introspection at the end of the book that was delved into throughout the rest. What is with these authors rushing their endings? They need to be every bit as perfect as the beginnings and middles. But other than wanting more, I can find no fault with this witty, honest, hilarious look at a lovely woman who is absolutely NOT completely fine, but who will be. The author’s voice is refreshing, hilarious, and wonderful.
Honeyman, Gail, Eleanor Oliphant is completely fine, Penguin Random House, 2017.
I loved the ideas and interwoven timelines that crossed generations, countries, and realities in The Midnight Library by Evie Woods. It is magical, mythical, fairy tale-ical (I made up that word), and beautiful. It is so beautiful that my main complaint is that I wanted more. The first half of the book is deeply fleshed out, letting us into the characters detailed inner lives and minute by minute adventures. The second half of the book feels rushed, almost like it should have been several more books in a series so the author could have gone deeper into the story lines and better tied together the threads she was so masterfully weaving.
I want to know so much more about the eccentric elderly woman Martha works for. Martha’s childhood is left untapped, so much potential for background to show how she might find herself trapped in such a terrible marriage. Her mother signs and does not speak, which opens the door to so many questions that could be answered and scenes that could be elaborated on. The events that occur around the World War II timeline are barely mentioned and could be so many chapters of fascinating detail. Giant chunks of time are skipped over that could be filled with story. And some of the puzzle pieces like the tattoos, living bookshelves, missing manuscripts, and love affairs feel like fragments that could be such an epic saga were we to have their stories told in many more chapters.
It would make a fabulous series on a streaming service, especially if they fleshed out more of the characters, their backgrounds, motivations, and dynamic growth. One thing is for certain; Woods does a great job of creating protagonists I want to root for, women who never give up no matter how many times they get knocked down.
Woods, Evie, The Lost Bookshop, Harper Collins Publisher, 2023.
TRIGGER WARNING: This novel addresses themes of teen pregnancy, substance abuse, addiction, death, sexuality, religious pressure, body image struggles, and family conflict. Some material may be sensitive for readers.
Isabel Quintero does a fabulous job in Gabi, A Girl in Pieces of making us fall in love with a messy, smart, creative, beautiful, real-sounding protagonist. Gabi is sharing her journal with us, along with poetry, artwork, letters to her drug-addicted father, and innermost secrets. We are there for the highs and the lows, and we laugh right along with her, just before we grab a box of tissues to sob along with her. It is her senior year, and she is a pale-skinned Mexican American girl proud of her culture and obsessed with her food. (This gordita can relate.)
She tackles relationships with boys, friendship, teen-pregnancy, religious pressure, family dynamics, sibling issues, senior year stress, college applications, drug abuse, death, sex, body image, and more. Her voice is sarcastic, tender, raw, and heartbreakingly vulnerable. Navigating the minefields of adolescence in the 21st century has never seemed more fraught nor more worth celebrating. It is full of issues that make it a commonly banned book in conservative states’ schools. I feel sad for young ladies who may never get the chance to meet Gabi because there are probably many who could find hope and courage from her example.
Quintero, Isabel, Gabi, A Girl in Pieces, Cinco Puntos Press, 2014.
All images created by Rebekah Marshall’s prompts using AI on Gencraft.com website.
The Midnight Library by Matt Haig is a lovely reality check for anyone struggling with wishing their life could be different. Some quantum theorists think every alternative reality possible happens simultaneously. In one reality, I’m here writing this book review. In another, I’m still in the middle of reading the book. In another, no one gave me this book as a gift, so I haven’t read it at all. And in yet another, heaven forbid, I don’t even like reading fiction.
Our protagonist has reached such a state of melancholy in the beginning of the novel that she cannot see past midnight. She decides to end her life and finds herself in a library containing all the books of every variation of her that exists. It is the chance to see how different versions of life could be if various choices changed the trajectory of her past. It is an adventurous dive into the world of what ifs. I have enjoyed such thought experiments on myself. What if I had not gone into teaching, but had chosen a more lucrative profession? What if I had not married my first husband nor had children? What if I had moved away from Texas and was living somewhere cooler up north?
It is sometimes easy to get lost in those alternate wishful versions of ourselves and forget to appreciate all the little things that make up the lives we are living in the here and now. Though there were many poignant, sad, discouraging revelations in her journey, I was satisfied with the lessons she learned. I recommend this book for anyone who could use a reminder to feel a little more grateful or who sometimes wishes they would have made different choices in life.
Haig, Matt, The Midnight Library, Penguin Books, 2020.
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