Super Terrific Giveaway

My best friend is a person who will give me a book I have not read. —Abraham Lincoln

Well Hello Saturday afternoon. I’ve been waiting all week to meet up with you.  Sadly, I’ve got a tower of papers to grade this weekend, but at least I can sit on my formerly premium mattress in flannel jammies to get ‘er done. I’m pretty sure I’m headed straight for super terrific carpal tunnel syndrome. Me and Jerry both with the claw.  

If I can keep the lids up, and be productive more than busy, I may be able to squeeze in some time for the audio book I’m focused on. Yes, you heard me: I’m listening to an audio book.  Why you ask?  Because I trust my girl Rachel. Has it taken me some time to come around to the idea?  Yep. But that’s only because I put off the inevitable at times. (That’s code for I can procrastinate with the best of ‘em.) What novel has this girl’s ear?  A book I gave Rae some time ago—The Bartender’s Tale. So far Doig does not disappoint. Rae’s recommended narrator, David Aaron Baker, has me captivated.  He’s sending out nostalgic waves and I’m riding high on them.  

Wanna ride them too?  Rae and I are sharing some of our favorite pages in a giveaway, including The Bartender’s Tale and a few other downright winners like A Gentleman in Moscow, When Breath Becomes Air, The Wright Brothers (audio version), The Orphan Keeper, and The Nightingale. Already read some or all of these gems? Be a hero and gift them to friends.

Here’s how to enter our awesome giveaway: (you’ll receive one entry for each step)

• If you’re on Facebook and haven’t already liked our page, click here and hit like. Already a fan? Comment below and let us know!
• Click here and sign up to receive our enlightening emails or leave a comment saying you’re already a subscriber.
• Follow us on Instagram and like our giveaway post.
• Tag a friend in an individual comment on our Instagram post—each additional comment is an extra entry.
• Giveaway ends at midnight pacific time on Wednesday, Feb 22nd. Winner announced here on Friday the 24th.

We’re loving the idea of giving away homerun reads to our favorite readers.  

P.S.  That’s you.

Love, the Claw

Posted by Tracy

XOXOXO

“You and I, it's as though we have been taught to kiss in heaven and sent down to earth together, to see if we know what we were taught.” —Boris Pasternak, Doctor Zhivago

It’s Valentines Day, so naturally I’m listening to Marvin Gaye while I’m holed up in my office. Prince is next. I’m bringin’ it…in remembrance of Saint Valentine, a martyr for love. Well one of them anyway. So let’s go crazy: here are a few reads to keep you in the spirit of true wuv on national affection day.

I’m wholly ashamed to admit that I haven’t read one of the greatest novels of all time:  Anna Karenina by my favorite Russian, Leo Tolstoy.  What do you say we read it together this summer?  Something tells me we’ll be much better for it. Tolstoy would likely agree that love is far more complicated, deep, and tall than we imagine.  After all, these are the words he put in Anna’s mouth: “Love. The reason I dislike that word, is that it means too much for me, far more than you can understand.” 

Will someone get me Amor Towles phone number? Stat. What an author. What a man.  If you’re looking for love in all the right places, check out his novel The Rules of Civility.  This love story takes place in New York City in the 1930s. When best friends Katey and Eve meet a blue-eyed banker named Tinker Grey at a jazz club in the village, calling dibs is no longer binding.  “The Rules of Civility is one of those rare, precious novels that is as intelligent and sophisticated as it is juicy and entertaining.” 

I’ll finish my heart-thumping recommendations with yet another classic. A timeless read written by a Nobel Prize-winning Russian author. If you’re interested in a story of boy meets girl meets girl, pick up a copy of Doctor Zhivago.  Yuri Zhivago is a medical doctor and poet during the Russian Revolution. This undying love story thawed hearts during the Cold War—can’t imagine it won’t melt yours and mine now.  

Posted by Tracy

Love at First Recite

“When reading, we don’t fall in love with the character’s appearance. We fall in love with their words, their thoughts, and their hearts. We fall in love with their souls.” —unknown

It’s official: I fell in love with Maniac Magee’s heart. Apparently, I’m not the only one.  Winner of the Newberry Medal, this book has universal appeal because the boy in it is nothing short of legendary.  Jeffrey (nicknamed Maniac) can outrun dogs, soothe Bison, crack homers off an otherwise perfect hurler, and untie knots of gargantuan proportion. That’s not what makes him a superstar in my book though. Any orphaned boy who can survive on the streets is undoubtedly admirable. More impressive is his sensitivity to a small community divided by deep prejudice.  The color-blind boy quietly tries to patch up a splintered town.

My boys love Maniac too. Luke asked me if I wouldn’t read Spinelli’s winner to him again? (His 4th grade teacher read it in class, years back.) I’m glad he did. The timing felt right. In the wake of protests and divides, I feel lucky to have met a boy “who couldn’t see it, this color business.  He didn’t figure he was white any more than the East Enders were black. He looked himself over pretty hard and came up with at least seven different shades and colors right on his own skin, not one of them being what he would call white (except for his eyeballs, which weren’t any whiter than the eyeballs of the kids in the East End).” What do you think? Maybe we all need a little more Maniac in our lives.

Posted by Tracy

An Unsuspected Gem

“In despair, he left that farm and came to Bone Gap when it was a huge expanse of empty fields, drawn here by the grass and the bees and the strange sensation that this was a magical place, that the bones of the world were little looser here, double-jointed, twisting back on themselves, leaving spaces one could slip into and hide.” 

In honor of Rachel’s 39th Birthday, I’m watching the Warriors swarm the Hornets.  I am thoroughly reveling in Steph Curry’s stats and Rachel Boyle’s years.  How have I been lucky enough to know her for 3 full decades?!?  Must be grace at work. God’s matchless grace. Like an exceptional read, I cling to her goodness.  

Speaking of exceptional reads, I finished Bone Gap with wicked speed. (Not bad for an overworked, worn out old lady with a never-ending to-do list.)  Sorry Rae, I used the words old lady in your birthday post. I read “just one more chapter” in the tired a.m. hours, ingested pages over a quick lunch, and I may have even mulled over words while my class watched a persuasive documentary.  

Bone Gap has all the elements of an intriguing read: a hero with nicknames like Sidetrack, Spaceman, and Moonface because he refuses to look people in the eye, a beautiful Polish girl who is abducted, an unlikely romance, and a brother who rescues small townsfolk, but can’t save himself from mounting despair.  The bereft brothers resign themselves to losing Rosa, ripped from the cornfields by an inexplicably dangerous man. Like pieces of a small puzzle, Spaceman alone connects the mysteries of Bone Gap.  I agree, “Laura Ruby weaves a heart-breaking tale of love and loss, magic and mystery, regret and forgiveness—a story about how the face the world sees is never the sum of who we are.”  Well done Miss Ruby. This book was an unsuspected gem. 

Posted by Tracy

London Calling

“Sometimes I remind myself that I almost skipped the party, that I almost went to a different college, that the whim of a minute could have changed everything and everyone. Our lives, so settled, so specific, are built on happenstance.” —Anna Quindlen, Every Last One

photo credit: mariah tanner

The older I get (and today that's officially old), the more I think happenstance has nothin to do with it. Sorry Anna, but I'm more of a tender mercy and divine intervention kinda gal. (Let's not let this minor quibble damage the imaginary friendship we've got going.)

That's not to say decisions don't matter. Would I have met Tray if I hadn't chosen to attend London Study Abroad the winter of '88? Oh how I hope so. What if I hadn't picked the University of Utah as my grad school? Would I have crossed paths with my husband Matt anyway? Thank heaven (literally) I don't have to find out. What I do know is they were both placed in my path at the precise moment they were for a reason, and my life forever changed for the better.

When Tray drove six hours last Saturday to show up on my doorstep, unannounced, with two tickets to London in her hand, I was reminded all over again what a tender mercy this once-in-lifetime friend of mine is. I hit the jackpot with Tracy Jackson, folks. And my husband, co-conspirator extraordinaire, sweetened the pot this morning with a gift card to London. It was conspicuously absent of an amount, which clearly means I've been given carte blanche. He shouldn't have. Really.

So this October, after nearly thirty years for me and twenty for her, we're heading back to where it all began. Together. I'm thinking 27 Palace Court should put us up for a night, don't you? Come to think of it, we'll leave the bunk beds and communal bathrooms to the college kids—we'll settle for a walk through the halls for old time's sake. Maybe even curl up with a good book in 27's library. Wherever we go, we'll bring you all along. Vicariously, that is. Unless of course you cough up your own ticket and secure lovely accommodations for us all, then we'll talk.

For the rest of you, we'll post lots of pictures and in not a one will we look like this:

Rae and Tray in the streets of London...or somewhere in Europe...I can't tell you because I neglected to mark any of my pictures from Study Abroad with dates and locations. Brilliant. How 'bout those acid-wash jeans? We clearly had a penchant for denim.

Posted by Rachel

February Book Club Selection

“So what is it in a human life that creates bravery, kindness, wisdom, and resilience? What if it's pain? What if it's the struggle?”

For the record, I'm with Vicki—Tracy is one of the strongest people I know. I'll wager anyone lucky enough to know her would add a hearty amen to that. And like Tray, I've had bravery on the brain. Especially after seeing Hidden Figures the other night. Those women convinced me that with some elbow grease, dogged determination, and a shot of courage, there's nothin' I can't do—except math beyond the fifth grade level.

With thoughts of bravery abounding and the month of love approaching, Glennon Doyle Melton's Love Warrior practically jumped off the shelf as the obvious pick for February book club. This praise from another favorite, Brené Brown, sealed the deal:

"This is a book about what it means to be human―to wrestle with love, hurt, addiction, vulnerability, intimacy, and grace. Love Warrior blew me away. We can all find pieces of our own stories reflected in Glennon's powerful words. We are so lucky to have her courage and wisdom in the world. We need this kind of truth telling if we are ever going to find our way back to each other."

Posted by Rachel

Long Naps, Lazy Days, Fascinating Reads

“In the winter she curls up around a good book and dreams away the cold.” —Ben Aaronovitch

Last night, when I should have been posting about National Reading Day, I reorganized my closet. I stacked sweatshirts in color coordinated rows.  Sweaters too. My ode-to-Peyton navy and orange flowed over one Bronco row. I’m wearing an oatmeal Gap hoodie that I re-discovered—tags still clinging to the textured terry—claiming that the top “was made extra soft so it’s perfect for long naps and lazy days.” Uh Hello Gap…who gets long naps and lazy days anyway?  For me, that’s life’s most persistent and urgent question on this particular day. With How do I sign up? as the chaser. 

For those of you who have all the answers—the ones who have slumbered mid-day and are currently keepin’ it lazy in terry soft as snow—here are the books I’d choose if I too were hidden comfortably from winter’s bite.

You had me at Victorian ghost story Jonathan.  The Night Gardner follows Irish siblings who are in need of a home, so they work as servants at a decrepit English manor.  Apparently the saying "things aren’t always as they appear" proves true in this page turner. Be warned: this story is creepy and kooky, mysterious and spooky, but it’s also “a beautifully written fable about courage, family bonds, and the difference between a story and a lie.”

If you have the luxury of a lazy day, you want to turn pages, right? Multiple reviewers of Harper’s debut novel claim they couldn’t put this one down.  A real whodunnit. This is interesting to note: “The Dry has caught the attention of Reese Witherspoon, who has a solid track record for spotting novels with strong movie potential. (Want some evidence? “Gone Girl.”) But Ms. Harper has made her own major mark long before any film version comes along.”

Lincoln in the Bardo. I’ll be honest, one of my most trusted friends who is a gifted writer is a fan of this author.  If he likes Saunders, I’m bound to. Add to that the allure of a father-son story starring President Lincoln and I’m ready to call in sick.  Stoke the fire for this novel set to arrive on Valentines Day—chances are, you’re gonna love it.  The impressive Khaled Hosseini, author of some of my favorite stories, gushed about the author: “Saunders makes you feel as though you are reading fiction for the first time.” 

Posted by Tracy

Weekly Wrap-Up

“You can't depend on your eyes when your imagination is out of focus.” ― Mark Twain, A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur's Court

WHAT WE LOVE THIS WEEK

A rediscovered Mark Twain fairy tale. What we love even more? It's based on a bedtime story he told his daughters nearly 140 years ago. Imagine being tucked in nightly with stories spun by Papa Twain. Sadly we have to wait until September to get our hands on The Purloining of Prince Oleomargarine, but after waiting over a hundred years, what's another 8 months?

WONDERful news. April can't get here fast enough! 

This may be the first time we've ever been excited about a blind date. We're thinking it would make for a great book club party idea as well.

Books about books. Some of our favorites made this list and some will be added to our TBR list pronto.

This love letter to public libraries. Close to the top of our bucket list: visiting libraries all around the world. 

Speaking of public libraries we're itchin' to visit, check out this list of the top ten book borrowed from the Boston Public Library in 2016.

Finding out there was a saucy side to Jane Austen.

COMING NEXT WEEK

February's book club selection.

A football memoir for everyone. Seriously.