The Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern Anchor Books, 2012 516 pages When my daughter was born, two very dear friends came to see us in the hospital. It was Christmastime, so they brought my present with them: a copy of Susanna Clarke's Jonathan Strange & Mr. Norrell. I had not heard of it, but our … Continue reading The Night Circus
Women in Clothes by Sheila Heti, Heidi Julavits, Leanne Shapton et al. Blue Rider Press, 2014 528 pages I have an ambivalent relationship to fashion. I love clothes. I love expressing myself through what I wear. I love the idea that, by picking out an outfit, I can give people a piece of the code … Continue reading Women in Clothes
The Secret Lives of Codebreakers: The Men and Women Who Cracked the Enigma Code at Bletchley Park by Sinclair McKay Plume, 2012 352 pages Near the beginning of our marriage, my husband and I read the book A Man Called Intrepid. It's the story of Sir William Stephenson, a Canadian airman who became the … Continue reading The Secret Lives of Codebreakers
Lord of the Rings by J.R.R. Tolkien Allen & Unwin, 1954-55 I don't just talk about Lord of the Rings, I gush. J.R.R. Tolkien's epic fantasy about the fictional realm of Middle Earth is one of my desert-island books, a work of art that comes closer to my own personal definition of literary perfection than … Continue reading Super Secondaries: The Women of Middle Earth
A Train in Winter: An Extraordinary Story of Women, Friendship, and Resistance in Occupied France by Caroline Moorehead Harper, 2011 374 pages I don't really remember when I first learned about World War II. Probably very early in childhood, since I grew up with a grandfather who often told stories of his time in "The … Continue reading A Train in Winter
Bone by Jeff Smith Graphix/Cartoon Books 11 volumes If ever there was a graphic-novel epic, Bone is it. This fantasy saga spans nine main volumes, plus two prequels. It's a true Tolkienesque fantasy, complete with a fully realized universe, gripping action, and a nail-biting quest for truth and victory over cataclysmic evil. Bone is primarily … Continue reading Super Secondaries: The Women of Bone
Call the Midwife by Jennifer Worth Penguin, 2012 3 volumes I love BBC TV. Even the old shows, with their fuzzy camera work and costumes that look as if they came out of a long-neglected dress-up bin. I don't have cable, however, and can't get PBS over my TV antenna, so I have to make … Continue reading Call the Midwife
