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As promised, we're bringing you a very abbreviated newsletter this week as we all felt that three weeks between newsletters was a loooong time.
We had a lovely Christmas celebration at our house; the flowers to the right are the ones I arranged for our Christmas dinner. There were lots of books given as presents; I love being the book elf for folks. I wonder what it would be like to live in Iceland, a country where giving a book is a treasured thing each holiday season. I loved reading this piece about the annual Iceland Christmas "book flood."
In between making dinners and enjoying other festivities, I have been reading. First up were two Young Adult titles. In THE MEMORY OF LIGHT (January 26th), Francisco X. Stork has crafted a wonderful story that tackles the subject of depression --- and its many dimensions --- and suicide. It is smart and well-plotted with a reasonable (not sugar-coated) conclusion. I love that the protagonist learned to talk about what bothered her --- and how to cope with her depression, as well as manage her parents' expectations. Stork personally has battled depression, and also survived a suicide attempt in his 20s whereby he, like the protagonist, had to learn how to live again.
Second up was Luanne Rice's first YA novel, THE SECRET LANGUAGE OF SISTERS, which will be out on February 23rd. I have read Luanne’s adult titles and was happy to see how she clearly captured the voice, tone and attitude of teens. She tells a very compelling story of a young woman who suffers a serious brain injury --- "locked-in" syndrome --- following a driving accident while texting. Her sister had prompted her to text, and thus there is a lot of guilt involved. The science of communicating with locked-in syndrome was fascinating.
The last two days, I have been under the weather with a wicked cold, so it was nice to curl up on the couch with UNDER THE INFLUENCE, Joyce Maynard's upcoming novel, which also will be in stores on February 23rd and will be a Bookreporter.com Bets On selection. I always like her writing and find her work to be compelling reads. In UNDER THE INFLUENCE, Helen’s life has unraveled due to her excessive drinking. Her marriage has fallen apart, and she has lost custody of her seven-year-old son, Ollie. Her career as a photographer is on the skids like the rest of her life. Then she meets Ava and Swift Havilland, who are wealthy and connected philanthropists, and becomes swept up in their “fabulous” world. Also new in her world is Elliott, a serious man who is an accountant and gives balance --- not excitement --- to Helen’s life. The story comes to a crescendo when Ollie witnesses an accident, and the ramifications of it unravel the world that has been carefully built.
Now I am reading EVERYONE BRAVE IS FORGIVEN by Chris Cleave, which will be published on May 3rd. It's set in London at the start of World War II, before the first bombs have fallen. Everyone is bracing for the start of the war. Children have been evacuated from the city. So far, the stories of Mary, Tom and Alastair have been set up, as well as those of the children left behind --- the infirmed, mentally disabled and those whose skin color is dark. Chris' writing in each of his books is original and sharp. I look forward to finishing this one.
Lots of news below this newsletter opener, including our annual BIG Year-End Bets On Contest, a query for those of you in book groups, updates on some features --- and books we are looking forward to during the first week in January!
News and Pop Culture:
"Making a Murderer": Been addicted to this 10-part series on Netflix, which Vinnie, one of our readers and a childhood friend of mine, got on my radar. Steven Avery was imprisoned wrongly for 18 years for a crime he did not commit. Then a young photographer goes missing, and Avery is accused of her murder. Was evidence planted? Then his nephew chimes in with his own view on what happened. It's a brilliantly done documentary. Think of a "Serial"-type episode on video. You can see the trailer here.
News about "Z": Amazon Prime ordered a full-episode schedule for this show. Viewers gave the pilot raves!
Movie Watching: Been doing a lot of movie watching. Best film thus far has been Spotlight. Bridge of Spies is good, though clearly was trying to be this year's The Imitation Game but fell short. Saw Joy, Carol, Steve Jobs and Infinitely Polar Bear, but none wowed me. I have not seen the new Star Wars yet!
"The Affair" and "Homeland": Both had fabulous season finales!
Knitting Detangled: I loathe untangling knitting snarls, thus I loved finding this piece about people who love to detangle yarn. I could keep them busy.
Concussion: Dr. Bennet Omalu is the subject of a new movie, Concussion, starring Will Smith as Bennet. I learned this week that my friend Mayapriya Long helped Dr. Omalu publish his book, PLAY HARD, DIE YOUNG, back in 2008, where "he introduced to the public his research on concussions and brain damage in NFL football players." As she said, "When Bennet brought his book to me, I thought it was so important that I tried to find him a NY publisher, because distribution would be wider for his important research results. But no one would touch it. No one else was taking a stand at that time on the long-term danger of multiple concussions in contact sports --- except Dr. Omalu...the NFL fought Omalu hard at that point, trying to discredit him and his research. But eventually other prominent doctors supported him and his research, and now the tide has turned. Dr. Omalu, Nigerian by birth, is a humble, honest physician with important knowledge of concussion injuries and brain damage (backed by solid evidence from brain-slice studies from many deceased NFL players and others). Anyone who has someone they care about who is playing football should read Dr. Omalu's book."
And this wraps up 2015 for us, except for our joyous wishes to you for a Happy New Year! Your next newsletter will be on Friday, January 8th. Until then, read on and get ready to ring in 2016!
Carol Fitzgerald (Carol@bookreporter.com)
P.S. For those of you who are doing online shopping, if you use the store links below, Bookreporter.com gets a small affiliate fee on your purchases. We would appreciate your considering this!
Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Indiebound
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