A Summons to Memphis by Peter Taylor

Why do I do this to myself? This year, I've been trying to expand my reading horizons, and have ended up reading a lot of literary fiction and non-fiction. Try as I might, I don't enjoy literary fiction. Case in point below.

A Summons to Memphis by Peter Taylor
My rating: 2 of 5 stars

2.0/5.0 - I don't know what to say about this. It must have been a great book, it won the Pulitzer Prize for Fiction (1987), Los Angeles Times Book Prize Nominee for Fiction (1987), National Book Critics Circle Award Nominee for Fiction (1986), and National Book Award Finalist for Fiction (1987). It just wasn't for me.
The narrator, Phillip Carver, reminisces throughout the book about how moving from Nashville to Memphis at a tender age ruined his life, as well as his mother and his siblings'. Then, to add insult to injury, the father chases off both his sisters' and his true loves, so none of them ever marry. The third sibling escapes the family by going off to war (WWII) where he is killed. No one lives happily ever after, and in his old age, the father receives his comeuppance when the sisters chase off a young woman he wishes to marry and prevent him from seeing a friend who betrayed him years ago.
This was a painful book to read, although its saving grace was that it was short.

Pop Sugar #45: The book that's been on your TBR list for the longest amount of time


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Little Beach Street Bakery by Jenny Colgan

Little Beach Street Bakery by Jenny Colgan
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

4.0/5.0 - I loved this book, in part because it was such a nice change from all the non-fiction and literary fiction that I've been reading lately. I just couldn't put it down. Polly and Chris have lost their business and are faced with bankruptcy and finding new places to live. Polly moves to Mount Polbearne, off the Cornish coast, while Chris moves back in with his mommy. Polly makes the best of her new life, baking bread and working in a bakery and in no time she has become part of the town, befriended or beloved by all (except maybe her boss). As time passes even that changes, and the temporary stay turns permanent for her.
So I have to confess to crying during the funeral scene where they are singing the Navy Hymn (Eternal Father, Strong to Save). When I saw the words, I heard them in my mind, and I was right back at my dad's funeral. Tomorrow is his 99th birthday. Anyway, it was a good book, and I think I'll read more of the series.
Pop Sugar #30: A book set somewhere you'd like to visit in 2021
Book 91 of 2021


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The Bright Hour: A Memoir of Living and Dying by Nina Riggs

The Bright Hour: A Memoir of Living and Dying by Nina Riggs
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Nina Riggs is a young mother whose mother is dying from cancer when she gets her own diagnosis. Her family history includes being a descendant of Ralph Waldo Emerson, whose writings are peppered throughout the book, and having many, many family members succumb to cancer. Her sons are 8 and 10, and she battles for every day with them. She shares her feelings, fears, and hopes for the future in this short memoir that she finishes just weeks before passing.
Book 90 of 2021

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Garlic and Sapphires: The Secret Life of a Critic in Disguise by Ruth Reichl

Garlic and Sapphires: The Secret Life of a Critic in Disguise by Ruth Reichl
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

3.5 rounded to 4 stars - This is my third Ruth Reichl book, and like the other two - Tender at the Bone: Growing Up at the Table and Delicious!, this did not disappoint. Ruth shares her experiences in the late 1990s of being the NYT food critic. In order to experience a restaurant as an ordinary diner, she developed a number of alter egos, from the nice Betty to the nasty Emily. She has such a way of describing food that it's almost like being there with her. In addition to the restaurant reviews, she also includes several recipes for everything from risotto primavera to roast leg of lamb. She makes food accessible and enticing.
Book 89 of 2021

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The Navajo Code Talkers by Doris Atkinson Paul

The Navajo Code Talkers by Doris Atkinson Paul
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

3.0/5.0 - Written from primary sources, this book documents the essential services by members of the Navajo tribe during World War II, when they served as Marines and transmitted important messages in a code derived from the Navajo language. They were especially critical in the battle for Iwo Jima. Their service was not limited to code, though, and they developed a reputation for being some of the toughest men to serve in the Marines. Besides the normal dangers of battle, they also faced the additional threat of being mistaken for a Japanese soldier, and there were more than a few close calls.
Book 87 of 2021

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Red at the Bone by Jacqueline Woodson

Red at the Bone by Jacqueline Woodson
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

3.5/5.0 - This book was Longlisted for the Women's Prize for Fiction in 2020. The events in the story are bookended by the Tulsa race massacre in 1921 and 9/11. The book opens with Melody's coming out party, hosted by her grandparents, Sabe and Po'Boy. Melody is 16, smart, beautiful and the child of Aubrey and Iris. She was conceived when her mother was just shy of 16, and raised by her father and grandparents. Iris wanted more from life than being a wife and mother and left the family for college when Melody was just a toddler.
The book is about the dreams we have, and starting over, making things better for the next generation. Love and loss, hope and despair, are all themes that track the lives of these characters. I had a few issues with the book, which made it a 3.5, rather than a full 4 star. First, the two LBGTQ characters seemed like an after thought, and the part where Iris' breasts leaked milk when she was at college just wasn't believable for me. Other than that, it was a good book, and the second one I have read by this author.
Book 86 of 2021

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The Lions of Fifth Avenue by Fiona Davis

The Lions of Fifth Avenue by Fiona Davis
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

4.0/5.0 - I quite enjoyed this book. Being a librarian whose passion is visiting libraries, I found the setting to be very interesting. I liked that one of the main characters was a librarian, and the dual timeline, multi-generational aspect worked for me, as well. Perhaps the highlight of the book was p. 147 where Amelia invite Laura for tea at "Patchin Place" which I immediately recognized because E.E. Cummings had a residence there. He painted a still life called "Flowers and Hat: Patchen Place" and can be found on Brockport's institutional repository.
Pop Sugar #18: A book about a subject you are passionate about
Book 84 of 2021


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