Sunday Salon: Reflections

The New Year is fast approaching and, as always, I find myself reflecting about the year that is nearly behind me. I am not quite ready to tally up my statistics nor pick out my top reads of the year. There is always a chance I may fit in one last book, no matter how unlikely.

I could easily blame the Christmas holiday for my lack of attention to my books this past week, but that would not entirely be true. My Christmas was quite relaxing and laid back. My husband and I had a Lord of the Rings movie marathon Christmas Day, watching all three movies in their extended versions. I was reminded of just how much I love those movies: the beauty of the scenery, the unforgettable characters, and a story that never fails to captivate me. Seeing the movies makes me want to read the books all over again. Alas, there are so many books I want to read and not nearly enough time to read them.

Yesterday I spent a good part of the afternoon in Sarajevo, wandering the streets during a war that destroyed so many lives, as wars so often do. My thoughts about Steven Galloway's novel, The Cellist of Sarajevo, are still swirling around in my head, and I am not quite ready to put them to paper. I hope to at least post a review of the book before the year is out.

Earlier in the month, I mentioned wanting to get caught up with my reading reflections from five years ago, and now seems as good a time as any to make good on that promise. I managed to read seven books in December 2003. One in particular stands out for me. It made my list of favorites that year.

As Always, Jack by Emma Sweeny (2002)
Nonfiction

Emma Sweeney lost her father before she was born. He was a Naval pilot during the Cold War and died an early death. However, he left behind a legacy of love and humor, which carries on in the future generations of his family. Upon her mother’s death, Emma Sweeney came upon a stack of letters tucked away in her mother’s dresser draw. Emma’s father wrote the letters in 1946 to her mother, when he was stationed in the Pacific. Her parents had met 11 days before her father was shipped out. This book is a love story, one that deeply touched my heart. John Sweeney, aka Jack, was a gifted and humorous writer. His letters carried me back to 1946, made me feel the growing love he felt for Beebe, his future wife, and reminded me of my own love story. I also couldn’t help but think of my own grandfather and wish that I had known more about his earlier life, before my mother and her brothers came along.

It was also at that time when I first discovered Linda Fairstein's Alexandra Cooper, sex crimes prosecutor series. I actually considered not reading more of the series after reading that initial book, Final Jeopardy. However, an article about the author and her career that I came across in the spring of the following year inspired me to give her another try. Linda Fairstein's series is one of the few I am completely caught up in. I especially like how the author weaves historical tidbits about Manhattan into the modern day crime stories.

December of 2003 was a month for seconds as well. Anne Perry's Callander Square and Alexander McCall Smith's Tears of a Giraffe, both seconds in series and my second book by each author, proved to be enjoyable. While the female protagonists in both books are more gentle in their approaches at getting to the bottom of a situation, readers should not mistake that as weakness. Charlotte Pitt and Precious Ramotswe are intelligent and strong women.

No December is quite complete without a war story, and Michael Frayn's Spies fit into this category nicely. The novel is about two boys who weave together a tale of intrigue about one of their mothers, deciding that she is a German spy. They set out to spy on her and what they discover will change the course of their lives.

I finished off 2003 with two holiday themed books, one being Visions of Sugar Plums by Janet Evanovich, and the other, Skipping Christmas by John Grisham. Interestingly enough, I had very nice things to say about the first in-between numbers book by the author of the Stephanie Plum, bounty hunter series. If you were to ask me today what I thought of it, I would not be quite so kind. Time has a way of shifting our memories. My opinion of Skipping Christmas, however, has not changed much over the last five years. I found it to be quirky and funny yet predictable.

When I look back five years from now upon my reading experiences of this year, I wonder what I will discover. Will unexpected books stand out in my mind? Will I come across a thought I jotted down that surprises me? I look forward to finding out.

Week in Review:
Review of Anarchy and Old Dogs by Colin Cotterill
Review of Sun and Shadow by Åke Edwardson
Review of The Devil's Footprints by Amanda Stevens
1st in a Series Wrap Up

Happy Reading!