On instagram, I’ve created a book recommendation tag. Each Wednesday, I’m recommending a book. I’m trying to suggest books that aren’t everywhere so that hopefully people will seek out some hidden gems. But I’m also not averse to raving about the latest bestseller if I think people should read it. You can check out my Instagram here. Here are the books I’ve featured so far. Please join in and tag your posts #WhatToReadWed!
In honor of the beginning of a new school year, my #WhatToReadWedpick for today is Bel Kaufman’s Up The Down Staircase. This novel is told via letters, notes passed in class, interoffice memos, and scraps of paper taken from lockers, notebooks and trashcans. It was written in 1964 about a 1st year teacher in a NYC high school and what’s remarkable is how much (and how little!) has changed. Anyone who thinks that having summers off makes teaching an easy job needs to read this. Read it to appreciate the teachers in your life a bit more. Or just read it because it’s a fun (and funny) book.
It’s #WhatToReadWed again. My recommendation this week is a book I’m #currentlyreading. Charlotte Gordon’s Romantic Outlaws: The Extraordinary Lives of Mary Woolstonecraft and Her Daughter Mary Shelley reads like a novel. Both Marys were tough, smart, shocking and light years ahead of their time.
Once again it’s #WhatToReadWed. This week I’m featuring Major Pettigrew’s Last Stand by Helen Simonson. The title character is a retired widower who lives in a small village in the countryside. He’s conservative, opinionated and well… cranky. When he falls in love with Jasmine, a widowed Pakistani shopkeeper, these very different people will have to find a way to make it work. This book is about the value of culture and tradition. What is worth preserving and what should change with the times? Ultimately it’s about the ways people are different and the things that we have in common. And most importantly it proves that falling in love is just as sweet at the age of 70 as it is at 17.
It’s #WhatToReadWed again. Today’s pick is Samantha Ellis’s memoir “How To Be A Heroine” which is one of my favorite books about books. Ellis revisits favorite books from different points in her life and evaluates them in the context of what she’s learned.
It’s #WhatToReadWed again! My pick this week is “Idaho” by Emily Ruskovich.
If you are someone who wants everything laid out neatly, this isn’t the book for you. But if you appreciate ambiguity accompanied by gorgeous prose, give it a try. It explores an act of violence in the years before and after. We see the lead-up and the consequences from several perspectives. By the end, there are strong hints as to whodunit and why, but nothing is told to the reader outright.
My first pick for #WhatToReadWed is “Tangerine” by Christine Mangan. This is perfect for fans of Hitchcock, film noir and whodunnits. Set in Tangier in the 1950s, it follows a British ex-pat who lives in Tangier with her husband. When her former college roommate shows up unexpectedly, memories of their past- involving a violent death- begin to surface. Through most of the book we’re not sure who we can trust, and the exotic atmosphere is palpable.
Fran Laniado- Author 