Category Archives: books

Hitting The Reset Button

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Me with author William Kent Krueger.

This blog has been quiet while I have wrestled with whether I want to continue writing at all. When I started writing here in 2018, it was a place to tell stories about my travels for friends and family to enjoy.

Since then it has evolved into a daily creative and accountability exercise. Lots of strangers have found their way here and become new friends. I hold myself accountable to show up every day and write something or to at least match a quote with an original picture of interest.

I took a break, thinking it would last for three days, but the respite has stretched into weeks. The more distance I put between me and writing, the less I missed it. I also journaled less and spent absolutely no time thinking about other types of writing besides what I do for work.

My brain felt tired and I was lacking in motivation.

Then something special happened. I received some encouragement from an author I admire. William Kent Krueger spoke Saturday at the West Virginia Book Festival. If you aren’t familiar, he is a New York Times bestseller and popular mystery writer. Known for his Cork O’Connor mystery series, as well as three fabulous stand alone books, he earned a spot in my heart with This Tender Land. If you haven’t read it, you should.

On Saturday, he talked about how he became a writer, crediting his parents for reading to him as a child and encouraging him to understand that there are no limits when it comes to storytelling.

He talked about his career, his failures and second chances. He wanted to write the great American novel but couldn’t find his voice so he just stopped writing.

He didn’t write a thing for years.

Then one day, he woke up in middle age and decided that he was going to write again. This time it wouldn’t be a botched great American novel. It would be something people would actually want to read. He got a laugh at that comment! So he did something unexpected. He embraced the Mystery genre even though he had never read a mystery before in his life.

After a grueling period of daily writing and stretching to find his voice, Cork O’Connor was born. This character would elevate the writer Kent Krueger to the New York Times Bestselling Author William Kent Krueger, making him a household name for readers far beyond his chosen genre.

I’m sad to say that I didn’t discover his work until he published This Tender Land a few years ago. This stand alone book captivated my imagination and won a spot on my bookshelf as an all time favorite.

This is what brought me to the room where Kent (he asked us to call him Kent!) told his own story.

He spoke about writing with a sense of profound joy, inspiring me to go home and write something of my own.

He seems like a common guy, reminding me of some librarian friends and a little of a favorite college English professor. Oh, what I wouldn’t give to sit in a writing class with him!

It ended all too quickly but he did sign books afterward and you can believe I took my two favorites to be personalized. I used my time in front of him wisely and acted like a fan girl as he signed my books. I let him know how much I love his writing and that he made me want to go home and write. That caught his attention and he asked some questions and offered encouragement.

He encouraged me to not let my writing projects at work sour me or get in the way of writing for myself. He advised writing every day and working to find my voice. When he worked a regular job, Kent said he got up early every day to write for an hour before work.

This advice makes sense to me because it would give a writer an opportunity to use their authentic voice before venturing out into a noisy world that insists on crushing our individuality.

I walked away knowing that I wanted to accept his advice.

My first act is to try reviving this blog because I need the accountability exercise. The next step is to dust off my journal because journaling is akin to a daily tidying routine for my mind.

The fiction piece is harder. I have a writing project in mind and it’s manageable. There’s another writing project that is less manageable. While we were out book browsing after the festival, I procured a book of writing prompts to help establish what I hope will be a morning writing exercise habit. I’m not a morning person so this may get shifted to another time of day to humor my morning failings.

I can at least try.

Something else I need to work on is my inability to call myself a writer. When one of my favorite writers took an interest in me and asked if I’m a writer too, I honestly didn’t know what to say. So I stammered out some nonsense about how I write but am not really a writer. In my mind, I just scribble and have never written anything that really mattered.

Yet, my professional resume includes writer/editor positions and two other jobs where writing has been a central responsibility. Personally, I practice writing here, drop thoughts in a journal and occasionally work on a short story.

I shared this with someone important to me the other day. He aptly responded “that means you’re a writer.”

And so it goes.

Will I ever be a writer like Kent Krueger? Not a chance. The man is brilliant. However, I will enjoy the journey as I work to improve myself. In this results oriented world, we forget sometimes that there’s merit in simply bettering ourselves – even when no one less is looking.

Meanwhile, I’ll see you back here tomorrow morning.

Finding Great Books And Fortune’s Frenzy At Maria’s Bookshop

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Independent bookstores are my absolute favorite places in the world. They all have their own style and character making many feel like old friends.

That’s how I feel about Maria’s Bookshop on Durango’s picturesque Main Avenue. I visited Maria’s during my first trip to Durango last year and spent the last twelve months thinking about the place.

Housed in a historic downtown building, Maria’s has been around since 1984. I badly wish I had thought to take pictures here. Unfortunately, I was in some kind of weird book fueled frenzy and totally forgot to take a few snaps. Instead, I wandered through all my favorite sections, grabbing and considering, putting back and finding more to add to my pile.

Friends, I acted like I would never step inside another bookstore again. I got some great stuff because of it – so there are no regrets.

It’s bright and airy. If I remember correctly, there was art and maybe some vintage stuff decorating the walls. They have a robust collection of books related to nature and outdoors, mental well being and people who inspire. I loaded up so much from the non fiction side of the store that I didn’t shop much in fiction but it looked nice. They also have a great selection of journals and other notebooks as well as stuff for kids.

My blogging friend Eilene, who lives in that area, has a new book being released today. I was lucky to purchase an early release copy from Maria’s during my visit. Their friendly staff helped me find it and were excited to share how good it is.

I haven’t read it yet but Eilene is an excellent researcher and writer so I’m excited to dive in soon. You can buy your copy from Amazon or, better yet, from Maria’s online.

Incidentally, Eilene’s book was reviewed by the New York Times this week. If you’re interested, check that out too! Just click here. I’m so proud of my friend for her hard work and accomplishments and hope you will support her. Click here to read her blog Myricopia.

Bookshops

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I just want to sit in a bookshop and breathe. That’s all. Just flip through used books and study the titles in a section I don’t normally frequent. Maybe find a good western or a coffee table book about a painter I don’t yet know.

Bookstores are special places. They’re portals into new worlds, rocket ships to places only our imaginations can construct.

Oh, to just stand amidst the books and breathe!

The picture above comes from a bookshop in Little Switzerland, North Carolina. Read about that surprisingly amazing experience here!

Little Golden Obsession

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When I was a very small tot, my mother developed a habit that would help shape me into who I am today. When we went to the grocery store every Thursday, our first stop was the spinning rack of Little Golden Books.

The Little Golden Book was a hit from the time it premiered in the forties. Inexpensive to produce, these hardbound books were durable in the hands of small children who played a little rough with their things. At the price of .25 per book, each colorfully illustrated volume told the story of adorable critters like the Pokey Little Puppy and Three Little Kittens.

By the time I came along in the late seventies, the average cost of these books was .59. While my folks didn’t have a lot of money, my mother never failed to budget for a book every week.

So, she would put me in a cart at the Kroger store in Wellston and wheel me straight to the spinning rack of golden spined books. Here we would choose something new from the selection of books about Sesame Street characters, Disney stories and all sorts of delightful little animals with exciting tales to share.

I couldn’t read yet but I do remember being excited about all the bright, pretty pictures. And I would study the book, flipping through the pages while she shopped. I was too engrossed in my new treasure to even notice the aisles of snacks and cereals we passed by.

She finished her shopping without fielding requests for things off budget and then we went home where she put away groceries and we sat down to read the new story.

I always treated my books carefully and with respect, often imposing on anyone that would read to me. I think a few of my older cousins were taken aback when I would plop down an entire stack – as many as my small arms could hold – with the expectation we could read them all.

At one time, I had dozens of those books that eventually got sold at a yard sale. I can’t believe we sold them. They were such an important part of my childhood that it seems crazy I let them go.

Sometimes I pick up vintage copies at antique malls and used bookstores. Here’s a rack of vintage Little Goldens at the Heart of Ohio Antique Mall.

I have several from my childhood and a bunch that predate me. The mid century artwork is superb and there are a couple of artists that rise above the others as favorites. Corinne Malvern is one of those favorites. There’s something soft and fanciful but realistic about her work.

Yup. I’m still looking at the pictures.

Occasionally you’ll still see a spinning rack of Little Goldens but, more often than not, they’re just on a shelf next to fifty other kids books and that makes me sad. Today the average retail price is $4.99 – still more affordable than most children’s books today.

I nearly always stop to see if there’s something I want for my collection or something that might fuel my sense of nostalgia.

As I look around stores today, parents aren’t buying their kids books. If they want to hold their attention in a store, the kids are given a phone to watch cartoons and play games. A modern day version of my mother’s distraction techniques, I guess. Just maybe not as enriching or as productive as teaching them to love reading.

My favorites often involved little woodland creatures, cats or travel. Shocking, I know. Evidently. my tastes were pretty much defined as a three year old in a grocery store shopping cart. These stories encouraged tolerance for others like when a lot of little creatures tried to live together and discovered they all had different food and shelter needs in The Very Best Home For Me.

Here’s a peek inside.

A few books introduced the idea of traveling to far off lands in such an exciting way I wanted to pack my little red Going To Grandma’s suitcase and strike off on a train or plane journey.

I learned a lot from those books and discovered a lifelong desire to collect and read books. As an only child, books were always a great gift. Part time machine and part magic carpet, they could transport me to anyplace I wished to go and continue to do so today.

There’s still nothing more satisfying than curling up in bed with a good book unless it’s being out scouring bookshelves for something new to try.

Now, the woman who taught me to love and collect books likes to frown when she asks how many more books I intend to buy. Ha, ha! My poor mother is convinced the floor of my house will someday collapse under the weight of my collection. Honestly, I worry more that I will someday stack my to be read pile too high and be crushed under the weight when it falls.

But what a way to go, right?

If you have kids, buy them books that they can read and reread and call their very own. And if you can’t afford to do that, take them to the library where they’ll find an entire new universe at their fingertips for absolutely no cost. And for yourself, find a book that sounds interesting, put down your phone and venture into the land of great storytelling. If you can read, you’ll never be bored or lonely. It’s the greatest gift you can give another person and yourself.

Beyond Bedtime Books

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If you ever find yourself in Pittsburgh and in need of a good bookstore, look up Beyond Bedtime Books. This small shop is packed from floor to ceiling with an amazing selection of used books.

You’ll find bestsellers mixed in with the rare and obscure. The atmosphere is pleasant, the prices are good and the service is terrific.

There’s even a nice kid’s section and a few places where you can sit quietly to take a book for a spin before buying. I brought home a signed Fannie Flagg book for my collection and admired so many things I was lucky to escape with a relatively small stack.

Independent booksellers are the very best and visiting stores look this one is a little like setting out on a hunt for buried treasure. You never know what you might find.

Want to check them out? Visit their website for more information and for links to their social media.

Want to make it a day? We also had brunch at The Grand Concourse and strolled through one of the city’s happiest places – The Phipps. Here’s a story about that place from another day.

A Man Called …

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There’s a book you may have heard of in recent years. It’s called A Man Called Ove and it was a worldwide bestseller.

The main character is a fellow named Ove who has known heartbreaking tragedy and who is getting on in age. He recognizes, as many of us do at a certain time in life, that the world has left him behind.

The book was written by Swedish author Frederik Backman. Published in 2012, it has been on my reading list for nearly a decade. A Swedish movie was made a few years ago. Last year, every time I went to the movies, there was a preview for a new American version that looked really good.

It opened nationwide earlier this month so I had to hustle to read the book first.

The book was one of the best I have read in the last two years. It was actually exactly what I needed. Ove’s character and his motives are layered and complex. His actions, while foreign and misunderstood by many around him, made perfect sense to me.

The story is told from his perspective so you get tremendous insight into the man. I laughed out loud in many places and found others quite sobering.

You get less of that with the new movie. Tom Hanks does a nice job translating Ove to the big screen as he stars in A Man Called Otto. Don’t ask. I have no clue why they changed the name. Regardless of what you call the character, the film shows some of the complexities of the man. It mixes the bad with the terrible, the funny with the cranky and the good that is this man. It’s not as funny as the previews might suggest. I did laugh. It is amusing but I felt like whoever made that trailer didn’t see the entire movie or understand the point.

Two days later, I was able to see the original film, the Swedish made A Man Called Ove which requires subtitles since I don’t understand the language.

I thoroughly enjoyed this rendition as well. It could be the subtitles throwing me off but this Ove doesn’t come off as complex as he is simply angry. All the same, actor Rolf Lassgård gives a great performance and I enjoyed this one too. You should see it as well.

It got me thinking about life and temperament and how we manage the things life sends our way. It’s rarely all good or all bad. If you take someone else’s interpretation of a story as fact, you’ll get the things they want you to know or consider.

If you get the whole story, in this case the book version, you’ll find much more detail and opportunities to judge for yourself. As much as I enjoyed both movies, I’ll take the book any day. In fact, read it first and I promise you’ll better appreciate both movies.