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Spring has arrived,
right? Perhaps it is not evident in the warmth of the air,
but we can take comfort in the passing of the equinox. We
have reason to celebrate, hope for days in parks, nights on
porch swings. It’s also National Poetry Month, thirty
days to celebrate the amazing art of putting together few
words to emote as much as a novelist does in 300 pages. To
honor both of these calendar events, we share this delightful
poem.
Why I
Wake Early
Hello, sun in
my face.
Hello, you who make the morning
and spread it over the fields
and into the faces of the tulips
and the nodding morning glories,
and into the windows of, even, the
miserable and the crotchety—
best preacher
that ever was,
dear star, that just happens
to be where you are in the universe
to keep us from ever-darkness,
to ease us with warm touching,
to hold us in the great hands of light—
good morning, good morning, good /morning.
Watch, now, how
I start the day
in happiness, in kindness.
—Mary
Oliver
from Why I Wake Early, 2004
May the dawning of spring—the
crocuses peeking their heads from the softening soil, the
longer days of sun streaming into windows, the robins chirping
in freshly-budded forsythias—inspire the poet in all
of you. Whether it’s the newest Elizabeth George novel,
the most recent Anne Lamott book or the latest Magic Tree
House, we at Book Ends have a list a mile long that we’re
excited about—not least of which is the poetry in our
lives!
Isabel writes: My
husband, Ron, was so excited about Gregory David Roberts’
Shantaram (0312330529)
that he wrote the following review: “Roberts lived underground
in Bombay, a fugitive from Australia. This is the story of
his survival. The only other novel I can really compare it
to is Moby Dick—it’s absolutely majestic, engrossing
and deeply thought out. Shantaram is a thrilling adventure
story with a great sense of humor, and, at the same time,
a compelling narrative about finding human connections in
an alien environment. Be forewarned, though, that this is
not a book for the faint of heart as there are some disturbing
accounts of prison violence, slavery, prostitution and poverty
in one of the largest cities in the world.”
Dede writes:
I have just finished an extraordinary new novel by Ian
McEwan, the Booker Prize winner of Amsterdam (0385494246)
and Atonement (038572179X).
Saturday (0385511809)
takes place during one day in the life of a man in London.
He is a happy man—husband, father and gifted neurosurgeon—and,
in a minute, his life changes. The book is deeply philosophical
and, at the same time, a thrilling page-turner. This book
stands head and shoulders above anything I have read so far
this year.
Critics hailed young Jonathan
Safran Foer for his first novel, Everything is Illuminated
(0060529709).
His new novel, Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close (0618329706),
addresses the aftermath of 9/11 through the eyes of a nine-year-old
boy. Cyntha Ozick calls the book “an American original.”
“An exceptional achievement,” Salman Rushdie said.
I have not read it as yet, but my son says it is a classic.
In paperback, I recommend Confinement
(0425200272)
by Carrie Brown. You can’t always judge
a book by its cover—in this case, there is very silly
cover art. The novel is serious literary fiction about family,
love and loss.
Also in paperback, recommended
by loyal customer and great reader Nancy Hagge, is John
Dalton’s Heaven Lake (0743246357)
about a young man who goes to Taiwan as a Christian volunteer.
Alice writes: Asne Seierstad,
the author of The Bookseller of Kabul (0316159417),
has a new book coming out this month about her experiences
reporting from war-torn Baghdad. A Hundred and One Days (0465076009)
is reminiscent of Anne Garrels’ Naked in Baghdad (0312424191),
a female journalist describing life, culture and events in
the heart of a city under siege.
Anything with David Sedaris’
name on the cover is a keeper, according to me. He recently
edited a new anthology of short stories, Children Playing
Before a Statue of Hercules (074327394X).
Including stories by Tobias Wolff, Jhumpa Lahiri, Flannery
O’Connor, Alice Munro, Dorothy Parker and a dozen others,
Sedaris said, “The authors in this book are huge to
me, and I am a comparative midget, scratching around in their
collective shadow.” This book doesn’t include
anything new, never-before-seen, but it’s a collection
of greats and, better yet, some of the profits go to support
826NYC, a nonprofit tutoring center in Brooklyn. Sedaris’
most recent book, Dress Your Family in Corduroy and Denim
(0316010790),
is coming out in paperback next month.
On Tuesday, April 12
at 7 p.m. we’ll discuss Carson McCullers’
Clock Without Hands (0395929733).
Set in Georgia on the eve of court-ordered integration, this
was McCullers’ last novel. Some say that it is her most
poignant statement on race, class and justice. It is a tale
about change (and refusing to change), about the lives we
lead and the deaths we suffer (or rejoice in), about hatred,
love and acceptance. It is a tale, as McCullers herself wrote,
of "response and responsibility—of a man toward
his own livingness."
FROM THE CHILDREN’S
ROOM:
Marilyn writes:
Completed prior to Shel Silverstein’s 1999
death, Runny Babbit (0060256532)
was a work in progress for over twenty years. Silverstein
fans of every age will enjoy the slightly skewed world (linguistically
speaking) of Runny Babbit and his friends.
Student reviewer Stephanie, aged
10, tells us that The Secret Prince (0689844263)
by D. Anne Love is “an excellent book about a young
boy named Thorn. As a baby he gets dropped off at a hidden
cave, the home of the ‘good’ Morwid. When he reaches
the age of twelve, he discovers he is a prince who needs to
save the kingdom of Kelhadden from the corrupted King Ranulf…This
book was well-written and exciting.” Recommended for
ages 10 and up.
Student reviewer Alexis enjoyed
The Chain Letter (0385731698)
by Julie Schumacher. She writes, “When Livvie and her
friend Joyce both receive a chain letter in the mail, Livvie
cuts the chain and doesn’t send the letter to anyone.
Superstitious Joyce, however, immediately sends the letter
to five friends claiming it is bad luck not to continue the
chain. Livvie doesn’t believe Joyce until her luck changes…To
learn who sent the chain letter and what the girls finally
do to end their bad luck, read this exciting mystery full
of action and suspense.” Recommended for ages 10 and
up.
Nicole and Julia both enjoyed
Chinese Cinderella And The Secret Dragon Society (0060567341)
by Adeline Yen Mah. Julia, aged 12, writes, “This was
a very powerful book [and] a very sad book, but it also had
very exciting parts that kept me hooked. I also learned a
lot more about China during World War II.” Recommended
for ages 12 and up.
Elke, Perry, and Katy gave glowing
reviews to Magyk (0060577312),
Book One in the Septimus Heap series by Angie Sage.
Perry writes, “Jenna Heap is the seventh child of Silas
and Sarah Heap—or so she thinks. But what Silas never
told anyone was that she was actually found lying in the snow
as a baby, and the Heaps adopted her. No one knows who she
really is. One day, however, it is revealed that she is actually
the long-lost Princess and heir to the throne. An assassin
is sent after her, armed with powerful Magyk. So Jenna sets
out looking for shelter, but instead she’ll find adventure,
danger, mystery, discovery and Magyk of her own…I would
definitely recommend this book for fantasy lovers.”
Recommended for ages 11 and up.
Laurie Halse Anderson,
who many readers will know from her books Speak (014131088X),
Fever 1793 (0689848919)
and Catalyst (0142400017),
has a new book, Prom (0670059749).
Ashley Hannigan doesn’t really care about the senior
prom, but when it looks like the prom won’t happen and
her friend’s dreams will be crushed, Ashley becomes
the prom’s unlikely savior. In making the prom happen,
Ashley discovers some surprising things about herself and
her life. Recommended for ages 15 and up.
In John Green’s
Looking For Alaska (0525475060),
Miles Halter leaves his safe, boring life in Florida for the
promise of a more interesting life at Culver Creek Boarding
School, his father’s alma mater. He does indeed find
life much more interesting. K. L. Going, author of Fat Kid
Rules the World (0142402087),
writes, “John Green has written a powerful novel—one
that plunges headlong into the labyrinth of life, love, and
the mysteries of being human. This is a book that will touch
your life…” Recommended for ages 15 and up. There
is some mature content.
Pat writes: Dan Gutman,
author of a popular series of chapter books about famous ball
players, has just come out with a new book titled Abner and
Me (0060534435).
One of our eight-year-old student reviewers said, “This
book is about a boy named Joe who can travel back in time
by using photographs. Joe decides to go back in time himself
to see if Abner Doubleday really did invent baseball. This
is a nice baseball book with some history wrapped in. I would
recommend this book for second to fourth graders.”
Judy H. writes:
Shadow Life: A Portrait of Anne Frank and Her Family (0439416787)
by Barry Denenberg is a new book for middle
and high school students. The book, combining both fiction
and nonfiction, is divided into four sections. The first section
gives detailed historical information concerning the Frank’s
life during the rise of Hitler in Germany and their move to
Amsterdam. The next segment is a fictionalized diary of Anne’s
older sister, Margot. The diary gives more insight into the
personalities and dynamics of the families hidden in the attic.
The last two sections deal with what happened to the Franks
after their discovery by the Gestapo and what happened to
Otto Frank after the war. Denenberg has done an admirable
job in chronicling the events and aftermath of one family
shattered by the Holocaust.
559 Main Street Winchester, MA
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