Missing the Magic

"Words are, in my not-so-humble opinion, our most inexhaustible source of magic. Capable of both inflicting injury, and remedying it." —J.K. Rowling, Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows

I love me some Harry Potter. We're talkin fervor kinda love. You know that feeling you get when you're at Disneyland at Christmastime and you're watching the fireworks while fake snow falls and Bing sings and you think you might explode from the magic of it all? That's how I feel about Harry Potter.

So naturally I planned on loving Harry Potter and the Cursed Child. Well I didn't. And no one's sadder about that than me. The play format took some adjusting to. Turns out Harry minus J.K.'s prose isn't so magical. But I gave my disappointed self a good talking-to and lowered expectations. Focus on the story, I said, not the writing. And that's where it got tricky, folks. J.K. didn't write the play so my dismay didn't feel quite so disloyal. She was, however, heavily involved in the plot, which turned out to be the biggest sticking point with me. There were elements I loved—the friendship between Scorpius and Albus being top among them. Overall though, the storyline felt too contrived and the characters didn't remain true to themselves, in "my not-so-humble opinion." Cue J.K.'s eye roll.

Maybe it all comes down to the fact that Harry, Ron, and Hermione didn't end up as I'd imagined they would. Apparently you can't mess with my beloved literary characters, even if you created them. In the end, I was left underwhelmed. No fireworks, no Bing, no snow. No magic.

p.s. The play is receiving rave reviews and I do really still want to see it. I think the spectacle of the stage production would distract me from some of the inconsistencies of plot and character. One more reason Tray and I need to make that trip to London!

Posted by Rachel

Throwback Thursday

“I can forgive and forget... it is so much less exhausting. You only have to forgive once. To resent, you have to do it all day, every day. You have to keep remembering all the bad things.”

I love that Rachel is asking herself, “How have I still not read Middlemarch?” Spoken like an ardent book lover with an unfulfilled and holy reading grail. I get it. Like the need for sleep, I feel it regularly myself. But when our unpaid intern, predisposed to come to the aid of semi-old ladies, recently sent us an article about an avid page turner who read all the Pulitzer winners and then went on to read almost Pulitzer-prize winners, Rachel was dismayed. “How does that work,” she wondered aloud. I pulled out my I-mean-this-in-the-nicest way-possible one-word answer: recluse.

Impressive though that Rae went there—she examined the possibility of pouring over all the winners and near misses. That’s when I questioned if, perhaps, she might have a slight case of what I’m lovingly calling OCB: Occassional Crazy-High Book-Reading Standards.  (I guess that’s OCBS, but you get the idea.)  Sadly, I don’t suffer from OCB…S. Reality has hammered on my pocket fulla dreams. That and the fact that I’m like Winnie the Pooh’s friend Gopher and “I can’t stand around lollygagging all day. I got a tight schhhedule.” (Rachel suffers from this too.)  So, I do the best I can and I get choosy.  Downright picky in fact about what I read.  It’s so nice that I can count on Rae to send the good stuff my way.

Last week, I finished the birthday book she gave me: The Light Between Oceans.  It was a great beach read.  In fact, my sis (who was reading Wolf Hollow) and I were the last ones to leave the Atlantic sand in an effort to get a few more pages in. Hard to believe this was Stedman’s first novel.  She transported me to a remote island where fairness was elusive and choices weren’t casual. Moral dilemmas have existed from the start of time—none of us escape them. But light, hope, and beauty can always be found if we learn to look for it.  Amazing Mark Zusak, creator of The Book Thief, nailed it when he swooned: “An extraordinary and heart-rending book about good people, tragic decisions and the beauty found in each of them.”

p.s. Can’t wait for the movie release on September 2nd!

Posted by Tracy

Bookshop Dreaming

Second-hand books are wild books, homeless books; they have come together in vast flocks of variegated feather, and have a charm which the domesticated volumes of the library lack. Besides, in this random miscellaneous company we may rub against some complete stranger who will, with luck, turn into the best friend we have in the world. —Virginia Woolf, Street Haunting

Have we mentioned our dream of owning a cozy little used bookshop someday? Soft chairs, roaring fire, hot cocoa and a whole lotta book love. No set hours, just open when the mood strikes us. We think that last part adds to the quaintness of it—business-minded folks beg to differ. Of course by then we'll be rollin in it so we won't give a fig what the suits think.

So when our intern sent this list of books that fly off the shelves at used bookstores, we naturally took notice. We found the list fascinating (and in some instances, surprising) and thought you might too, even if there isn't a make-believe bookshop in your future. If nothing else it may inspire you to dust off your own copy of one of these elusive reads and donate it to your local store. Look at you being a bookshop hero.

*The list also has me thinking, "How have I still not read MIddlemarch?" and "Who are all these people reading Jonathan Livingston Seagull"?

Posted by Rachel

Weekly Wrap-Up

Chrysanthemum thought her name was absolutely perfect. And then she started school.

WHAT WE LOVE THIS WEEK

Back to school. Seems like it starts earlier and earlier every year, doesn't it? Keep the first-day-jitters at bay with, of course, a good book. We wholeheartedly recommend Kevin Henkes' Chrysanthemum or Wimberly Worried. The Kissing Hand is a surefire hit as well. And you can't go wrong with How Do Dinosaurs Go To School.

One of these will ensure there's a skip in their step on day one. If your kid is craving a character backpack and the thought makes you cringe, one of these may be a good compromise.

Lunch has never looked so good.

Sure you can send them off with the typical box of colored pencils, but why not let them sparkle?

This little reading bag has us wishing we could sew. Fill it with their library finds or books from one of our go-to sources: Peek.

Keep on top of due dates and school events with our favorite wall calendar.

Back to school for them means more reading time for you. Celebrate with a new book bag. Or go ahead and be darling with one of these.

The Grammar Girl in us is coveting this cute tee. This one will do in a pinch as well.

COMING NEXT WEEK

Harry Potter and the Cursed Child review.

What's your DNF (do not finish) policy?

Throwback Thursday

“Make it a rule never to give a child a book you would not read yourself.”
—George Bernard Shaw

I’m writing this post with one eye on Michael Phelps.  Hopin to throw it back despite a few dazzling Olympic distractions.  Since I’ve been at Bethany Beach this week with my fam (reuniting and it feels so good), I’ve naturally had a few good conversations about books. My brother-in-law, who’s an English major and history lover disguised as a businessman, has taken George Bernard Shaw’s advice to heart. When my niece Catherine shared her most favorite recent read, I thought you are your father’s daughter.  

If you’re a history of buff and a fan of Old Abe, you’re bound to love Catherine’s newest fave:  Chasing Lincoln’s Killer by James L. Swanson.  (She blew me away when she added that The Killer Angels was totally fascinating—and all before the 7th grade?!) Based on her informal report, the twelve-day pursuit of John Wilkes Booth was pretty wild.  Far more intriguing than O.J.’s.  Catherine didn’t stop there.  In all seriousness, she told me that I was in luck because there is a children’s version of this #1 best seller. After I shot her a quizzical look, she explained that I could read Manhunt: The 12-Day Chase for Lincoln’s Killer to the boys when we finish up Pax.  It’s now on the to-do. Gotta make sure my boys keep up with their historically savvy cuz.  Besides, it is a book I would read myself.

Posted by Tracy

A Discount Ticket to Everywhere

“I Cannot Live without Books.”  Thomas Jefferson

Don’t hold back bibliophiles! If you have a penchant for books it’s okay—especially today. On National Book Lovers Day (yes, I’m all over domestic fetes this month), you are allowed to unabashedly rejoice with us. As if you need a reason to celebrate having “a discount ticket to everywhere.” You need not feel strange if you love inscriptions on flyleafs, or if you feel a sense of camaraderie when you turn pages others have turned. There is no shame in believing that the perfume of paper is lovelier than any scent you can buy over the counter.  Books are like the air we breathe—they invigorate and move us.

So in honor of this fine day (and the fact that I’m currently crusin’ through a book that will show up on screen real soon), here are a few novels that you may want to read asap, before the movie release.  Don’t worry.  Like all good book lovers, we expect you’ll reassure that page turning was more gratifying than watching the story unfold.  (Even if you got evenly buttered popcorn and soft duds.)

Inferno by Dan Brown

Brown is a storyteller.  We’ve seen The Da Vinci Code and Angels and Demons light up the screen in years past.  Tom Hanks is at it again in Inferno.  Amazon’s 4 stars + Tom Hanks spells winner.

Highest Duty by Chesley Sullenberger and Miracle on the Hudson by survivors of Flight 1549 and William Prochnau both garnered lots of stars and more than generous reviews.  One 5-star reviewer claimed “this is one of the best real-life yarns I’ve read in a long time.” Let’s be honest, who doesn’t like to read about a miracle?  Tom Hanks will also star in this real story that made us marvel when in happened, and chances are we’ll find ourselves feeling that way all over again.  

The Light Between Oceans by M.L. Stedman

Right now, I’m reading both books that sweet Rae gave me for my big day: The Light Between Oceans and Pax. 4.5 Stars from Amazon and a gift from Rachel—that’s what I call a homerun, bull’s-eye, a sure thing. The movie opens in the next coupla weeks.  Love it when I’m ahead of things, which is almost never!

Posted by Tracy

They Can't All Be Favorites

War had bled color from everything, leaving nothing but a storm of gray.

When I read a young adult novel, I don't want to feel like I'm reading a young adult novel. Too much to ask? I don't think so. Now I know not every book can be The Book Thief, but there are plenty of young adult and children's books with huge crossover appeal due to powerful prose: Wolf Hollow and The War that Saved my Life immediately come to mind. This book just isn't one of them.

I liked, but didn't love, Salt to the Sea. Historically speaking, this is an important read and I would recommend it to any teenager I know. How can it be that a tragedy of such horrific proportions has remained relatively unknown? That such a story could be overshadowed speaks to the scope of suffering during WWll. It is estimated that 9,400 people died, many of them children, in the sinking of the MV Willhelm Gustholff by a Soviet submarine—making it the largest loss of life in history from a single ship sinking. To put the tragedy in context, 1,198 died in the sinking of the Lusitania and around 1,500 lives were lost from the Titanic.

The story is such a compelling (and tragic) one, but sadly, I never really connected to the characters. They seemed too predictable and loosely drawn. The love story we see coming from the first few pages also rang hollow for me. It just all felt so teenager-y. Which to be fair to Ruta Sepetys, that is her target audience. Thanks to her, a forgotten tale in need of telling has come to life. Making historical fiction appealing to teens is no small feat. I just can't help mourning the story it might have been.

*This was our July book club selection so we'd love to hear from any of you who read it. Agree? Disagree? Loved it? Hated it? We're all ears!

Posted by Rachel

Weekly Wrap-Up

"Jerry, just remember, it's not a lie if you believe it." – George Costanza

WHAT WE LOVE THIS WEEK

Seinfeld. If you're a regular around here, you've probably noticed we're big fans. And now a book about the making of the show? Worlds colliding! In a good way.

If thoughts of Jerry and the gang have you craving some time in the Big Apple but you’re woefully short on cash and time, pick up one of these reads and you’re as good as there. Almost.

More fuel for our library tour fire. This is serious road trip material.

If the Great American Road Trip feels like a pipe dream right now, these reads will get you started without having to leave the couch.

Hankering for a read that’ll keep you up at night? Check out one of these thrillers. Yikes.

COMING NEXT WEEK

That promised review of Salt to the Sea. I was so bedazzled by the shock and awe of Tracy’s three-peat that I forgot to write a post myself.

My ode to Harry Potter.