Book Chatter

Sunday Matters

It always amazes me how fast Christmas hits. It’s filled with wonderful memories and traditions but it’s also a very difficult time for some. This year we are part of that “some” but we are handling it the best way we can.

Retro Christmas Party — Photo Credit: Unknown but Thank you.

Now that I am off from work for a while, I hope to take a day or two to get organized and then pile the good things on top of everything else so that we can have a Merry Christmas before the big kid heads to Orlando. I love the image above because it’s so festive and fun. That is what the holidays should be.

Right Now:

Just drinking my coffee while checking out my calendar.

This Week:

I’ve got to figure out what I plan to read before the year ends. This is a big deal because you don’t want to end the year with a dud.

Reading:

I am very close to finishing The Visitors by Catherine Burns. It’s pretty good but it all depends on how it ends.

I am halfway through Hunger by Roxane Gay and it’s so, so good.

Watching:

The Walking Dead is over for now so that leaves me wide open for Stranger Things – Season 2. I also have a list of Christmas faves to get to before the holiday hits.

Making:

As soon as I toy with the idea of going vegetarian again, I get hit with a craving for steak. I haven’t had one in a long time and it does sound good. Will I make it though? I am also craving tofu so who knows what my taste buds are doing right now.

I have no cooking plans for this week but I am craving casseroles which are tricky when you are gluten-free. All the soup-based ones usually have wheat or something crunchy to go on top so those are usually out. Maybe I will pull out my sheet pans and cook up some roasted veggies and chicken.

Grateful for:

As rough as last year was with my mom passing away, I realize now how that experience prepared me for what we are experiencing now with my BIL and my SIL. I’ve been calm and thoughtful about the whole thing and just hope that I can remain so as I support The Hub and his family over the next few weeks.

Here we go. Are you ready?

The Storied Life of A.J. Fikry
By Gabrielle Zevin
Algonquin Books, 9781616204518, December 2014, 288pp.

The Short of It:

A sweet, feel-good story that includes lots of literary references for your bookish self.

The Rest of It:

It took forever for me to pick this one up and to be honest, had my book group not selected it, I probably would not have gotten to it. I thought it was a story about a grumpy old man.

Well, he’s kind of grumpy but not old and it reminded me a lot of the movie Baby Boom but with the roles reversed. A.J. Fikry owns an island bookstore but it’s not doing well and he doesn’t really do much to help that. His salty personality keeps people at bay, even though he is a long-time island resident and pretty well-known by the locals. But… his wife passed away not too long ago so his less-than-lovely personality is understandable.

Things change quickly when a young mother decides to leave her baby in his shop with only a letter asking that she be taken care of. After calling the appropriate authorities and discussing what will happen to the child, A.J. decides to foster her and then adopt her. This presents challenges for him but in the end, changes him forever.

As a book lover, it’s hard not to enjoy the literary references. The story is at times a little sappy and yes, there’s a little bit of romance tossed in but it’s one of those books that you just read and enjoy and that’s it. I loved the characters and setting. As a book club book, there was hardly anything to discuss but I could see it being made into a movie and having it star Tom Hanks or somebody like him.

Overall, enjoyable.

Source: Borrowed
Disclosure: This post contains Indiebound affiliate links.

Chatting with friends about books and life…