New Year

I rarely make resolutions for the new year but I do make plans. My husband says that I make plans for everything, that he lives his life by accident and I have a plan. That's pretty true. Besides running through ideas about future quilt projects, I plan my days, plan driving routes, think of the best order for accomplishing certain tasks. Right now I am thinking about the books I hope to read in 2014 including Richard Powers' newest one. That inevitably makes me think of good books I have read previously so I thought I would make a short list on this blog. On my Kindle I have the newest book by Robert Stone, Death of the Black-Haired Girl waiting to be read. I like his use of language and his point of view. I particularly like his Outerbridge Reach although there are numerous others worth your time and effort. Another favorite of mine is A Frolic of His Own, by the late William Gaddis. This book takes some getting used to as it is entirely dialogue but without any quotation marks or specific identification of the speaker. So one must pay attention early on to distinguish one character from another, but in the end this is one of the funniest books I have ever read. If you have any young girls in your house, there is a series by a man named Alan Bradley that is intended for young adults. They are mystery novels with an engaging heroine named Flavia de Luce. Even though these are supposed to be for younger people, my husband and I find them delightful. Another series we both enjoy is by Ian Sansom featuring a hapless librarian in Northern Ireland. Another author I recommend highly is Simon Mawer, His first book, Mendel's Dwarf, with its blend of science, morals, and ethics knocked my socks off and I have read everything he has written ever since.

When my sister lay dying in the hospital her most profound regret was that she wouldn't get a chance to finish Wolf Hall, by Hilary Mantel. Now that I am older than she will ever be, I feel similar regrets about all the books I will never read even if I live another forty years. My paternal grandmother lived to be 102 so there are certainly genes that might get me close to that age.

What a depressing thought to end on. I am not a sad person so I will now wish you peace and joy in the New Year to lift the tone.