TITLE: A Spool of Blue Thread
AUTHOR: Anne Tyler
PUBLISHER: Random House Audio
PUB. YEAR: 2015
SETTING: Baltimore, MD
FORMAT: - library audio
RATING: 4/5 stars
FORMAT: - library audio
RATING: 4/5 stars
Set in Baltimore, Maryland, this Anne Tyler novel introduces us to some (4) generations of the Whitshank family. The story opens up with Red and Abby Whitshank, married in 1959 and parents to (4 ) offspring which includes 19 y/o Denny, the problem child of sorts. Beginning with Red receiving a surprising, brief phone call from Denny, a college student. He's a young adult that just can't find his niche. He can't find the right job and he's not very dependable.
The family home, built in 1936, which belonged to Red's father, takes on a life of its own in this novel. The house with it's large from porch has been a gathering place for the siblings over the years. As the story progresses, Abby and Red, married 48 years and slowly going down hill: Red's hearing is failing and Abby's memory is slipping, so the siblings must sort out best options.
This was a slow moving family drama, but, it's the type of novel that made me glad it was slow moving. The characters are slowly explored, often quirky and offered great moments of reflection for me. It's a sweet story about an average family with feel good moments, sadder moments and bits of love and loss. Kimberly Farr narrated the audio version and does a great job.
AUTHOR: Anne Bogel
PUBLISHER: Baker Books
PUB. YEAR: 2018
SETTING: n/a
FORMAT: - library print
RATING: 3.5/5 stars
FORMAT: - library print
RATING: 3.5/5 stars
A short book which of some 21 essays in which the author reflects on her love of books and reading. It's a book that will make most book lovers think about the books and reading experiences that made us fall in love with reading. I found myself recalling the books I loved and remembering what island or beach I was on while I read them.
I saw several bloggers review this book and thought I'd like to try it. I found it easy to relate to a few of the essays, but overall there wasn't anything that stood out or would make me want to have a copy for my shelves. I guess I was expecting to add many more books to my lengthy TBR list but that didn't happen after finishing this one. Overall, the book was a quick read and I think most book lovers will find something in this collection that will make them happy they tried this one. The author has a blog called, The Modern Mrs. Darcy and a podcast called, What Should I Read Next.
