The Boys in the Boat by Daniel James Brown. Reading a non- fiction book is somewhat of a rarity for me (I know, I know) but when a good friend and fellow avid reader recommended it I decided to reach for it. This was a fascinating look inside the 1936 Olympics held in Germany. This true story tells of the young men on the rowing team of Washington State University and how they came together during the depression and took the gold home from propaganda spewing Nazi Germany. Joe Rantz is the main character featured here who decides to prove his worth for a scholarship to Washington State by joining the rowing team. I loved reading how the nation came together for the team and how the boys had to struggle through socioeconomic barriers, the great depression, horrific weather, and Hitler’s rise to power in order to get the gold for rowing. One needs not be knowledgeable about the sport to appreciate this inspirational true story!
Bridget Jones Diary by Helen Fielding. I remember reading this book upon my mom’s suggestion in 1996 when it came out and having it be a revelation that books written by a woman for women can be great literature (rather than the slightly demeaning undertones of “chick lit”), uplifting, and hilarious all at once. Well, duh. I loved Bridget’s character! The book is written in the form of a diary in a year of the life of thirty something Bridget Jones. She writes from the point of view of being a “singleton” : her family dramas, relationship struggles, friendship dependence, and career setbacks and triumphs. All told with hilarious British humor and relatable mishaps and situations.
The Last Mrs. Parrish by Liv Constantin. Amber wants what she feels she deserves. A life of money and privilege is her due, and she is prepared to do anything it takes to get it. She sets her sights on Daphne and Jackson, who seem to have the perfect life that Amber covets. She insinuates herself into their family and their marriage, manipulating Daphne’s kind nature to worm her way into their lives. Amber pretends to have a sister with cystic fibrosis to get close to Daphne, and before long Daphne gets her a job working for Jackson’s company. What Amber doesn’t know is that Jackson is an abusive person and Daphne and Jackson’s marriage is a dangerous place to have crawled into. Daphne figures out what Amber is up to and then uses Amber to get out of the crappy situation she is in and to get the revenge she seeks.
The Unlikely Pilgrimage of Harold Fry by Rachel Joyce. This is my favorite book by this author. Harold and his wife Maureen are in their elderly years and are a quiet, introverted, friendless couple living in England. Sitting down for breakfast one day Maureen brings Harold a letter from a woman named Queenie whom he worked with years ago at a local brewery. She writes that she is dying of cancer and is in a hospice in another city far away. Harold decides to write back to Queenie to let her know that although they weren’t exactly close friends, she was always very kind and she meant a lot to him. He struggles to come up with the right words and settles for jotting down just a few words that feel unsatisfactory. When he goes out to put the letter in the mailbox, he just keeps walking. And walking. And walking. Without planning to Harold finds himself walking all the way to where Queenie resides. Along the way he calls Maureen, who is upset about what he is doing but stays busy keeping their house immaculate and keeping their son David’s room ready for him. Harold meets ordinary people along the way who reveal extraordinary things about themselves and cause Harold to contemplate his own life and lack of faith. Harold becomes a reluctant celebrity of sorts when his pilgrimage gathers attention and people join him along the way. When he gets to the hospice Queenie is just barely alive and Maureen joins him there. The reader learns what happened to David and Harold and Maureen renew thier love for each other. This is a moving, beautiful novel!
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