thankful for the written word 2018

Hi Friends as we all gear up for Thanksgiving this week I’m sharing my annual installment of Thankful for the Written Word. Last year I wrote about Books I was thankful were in my permanent collection. This year I’m sharing titles I was fortunate to enjoy in 2018.

This is a building which holds a special place in my heart. I grew up visiting the Library weekly with my mother. Rita was a avid reader and would read multiple titles a week. If my mother wasn’t doing laundry or cooking - you found her reading.

I volunteer and am treasurer of the Libraries Friend Group - we work to defray costs and purchase materials that are not in the Municipal budget. A library is the cornerstone of any community. I sincerly hope you have a library card.

I have a basket under my desk filled with books I want to read - lent to me predominantly by my sister - in addition I’m borrowing from the library and if anyone sees me with my earbuds in - I can pretty much guarantee I’m listening to a book through the app Hoopla.

So let’s get down to the list: all titles are linked to Goodreads.

Mrs. Queen Takes the Train: What might happen if the Queen wandered off for a day.
Secrets of a Charmed Life: Makes you think about history on a personal level. Hard to put down
Commonwealth: Stirs caring for these souls in a profound way. Hard to put down
️Stars over Sunset Boulevard: A not always friendly look at friendship.
️Brain on Fire: A riveting true medical mystery. Hard to put down
What Remains: A Memoir of Fate, Friendship, and Love: She lost her best friends and husband within weeks of each other. Hard to put down
️Daughter of Empire: Enjoyable memoir of Pamela Mountbatten Hicks childhood growing up in England and India.
The Little Book of Hygge: I always thought we lived Hygge in the Chalet and we do!
️A Man Called Ove: He pulls you in just as he is pulled in by those around him. Hard to put down.
The Paris Secret: A hunt for the truth about priceless Art.
Library at the Edge of the World: I felt myself rooting for Hanna to claim her place.
The Hidden Kennedy Daughter: Without this tragedy the Special Olympics would not exist.
️Killing Monica: I have always been a Candace Bushnell fan. This book did not disappoint.
White Chrysanthemum: I was unfamiliar with the history of Japans invasion of Korea and of girls stolen from their families. This story is gripping and hit home with me as a sister and a woman. Hard to put down.
Lady Fortescue Steps Out/ Miss Tonks Turns to Crime/ Mrs. Budley Falls from Grace/ Sir Phillip’s Folly/ Colonel Sandhurst to the Rescue/ Back in Society: These six titles are The Poor Relations Series A delightful series of books taking place during Regency Era London (1811–1820 ) I equally enjoyed listening to the British accents and their escapades.
Fortune's Children: The Fall of the House of Vanderbilt This is an all encompassing history of the Vanderbilt family: I found very interesting.
The Glitter and the Gold - Consuelo Vanderbilt Balsan: After reading Fortune’s Children it was interesting to hear directly from a daughter of privilege.
️What Alice Forgot: What would you do if you woke up and had lost ten years of your life?
️Every Crooked Nanny: Detective book with a softer edge.
️Revenge Wears Prada: hum…. I found myself thinking “What happened to Andy Sachs???”
️The Shoemakers Wife: I can’t express how much I enjoyed these characters. I listened to this on Hoopla and was really sad when it was over. (I was sad when I finished The Perfume Collector and Rare Objects last year too.) All three are Hard to put down.
️Benjamin Franklin Autobiography: I enjoyed hearing his take on himself - I also watched the History Channel’s documentary to fill in missing details and learn more.
Capital Gains: Smart Things I Learned Doing Stupid Stuff: Chip Gaines is a very motivating personality. This book should be shared. So enjoyable.
Mary Poppins: What I know - is Mary does not suffer fools gladly; at times she’s a bit callous and Mr. Disney definitely softened her. It’s an interesting read - that’s for sure!
Empty Mansions: The Mysterious Life of Huguette Clark and the Spending of a Great American Fortune: A fascinating story of the reclusive heiress - daughter of copper magnate W. A. Clark, she owned mansions she never set foot in. It’s a mystery that I’m still reading!