March Book Club Selection

"The story of your life never starts at the beginning. Don't they teach you anything in school?"

You may think us nervy posting a new book club selection considering we still haven't reviewed January and February's picks. We're not nervy, just tired. And for those of you who are new here—time-challenged. Let it be noted that I did manage to read Far From the Madding Crowd in January and finished Love Warrior before the stroke of midnight February 28th. Those are some big ol' baby steps out of me. Reviews of both coming next week. 

We've heard nothin' but love for The One-in-a-Million Boy from sources we trust. Even better—Tray is 80 pages in and already smitten. This feels like a good one, folks. So on this day we celebrate Dr. Seuss and Reading Across America, let's all revel in the anticipation of a great read. 

Posted by Rachel

Why the World Wags and What Wags It

“No one ever told me that grief felt so like fear. I am not afraid, but the sensation is like being afraid. The same fluttering in the stomach, the same restlessness, the yawning. I keep on swallowing."

“Giving books that lift always feels right.” I’m quoting Rae right there—as per usual, she’s spot on. A friend of mine that I work with just lost her mom unexpectedly. She was only 74. I’ve been racking my tired brain to figure out what I can do for her while her heart is breaking. I should probably knock on her door with a bucket and a mop in hand.  (A clean floor can make up for a lot that’s gone wrong, for me anyway.) Flowers before spring blooms can feel refreshing too. Of course, I’m always inclined to give a fitting book because there’s so much solace in them. Besides they have longevity.  And they lift.  

In trying to decide which book is the right one for my friend, I riffled through several in my head that have the power to assuage a bit of pain via perspective. My Grandfather’s Blessings, The Last Lecture, As I Lay Dying, Tuesdays with Morrie, The Death of Ivan Ilyich, The Year of Magical Thinking, and When Breath Becomes Air all come to mind; however, A Grief Observed may be at the top of my list.  C.S. Lewis, another imaginary best friend, possesses a rare and beautiful wisdom. The honest and raw admission of a stalwart believer’s faith put to the test will resonate with a soul occupied by grief.  How Lewis gradually regains his footing will offer comfort and hope to the anguished reader. 

In the accompanying note I write, I’ll draw yet again from The Once and Future King. The advice Merlyn gives to young King Arthur is invaluable: “The best thing for being sad is to learn something. That is the only thing that never fails. You may grow old and trembling in your anatomies, you may lie awake at night listening to the disorder in your veins, you may miss your only love, you may see the world about you devastated by evil lunatics, or know your honor trampled in the sewer of baser minds. There is only one thing for it then—to learn. Learn why the world wags and what wags it.” And who better to learn from than C.S. Lewis? 

Posted by Tracy

And The Winner Is...

“There are more important things in life than winning or losing a game.” —Lionel Messi

You are so right Messi.  And books likely qualify as “more important things.” Rachel and I aren’t mathletes.  Let’s be honest, my 12-year-old can run arithmetic circles around me—so we enlisted a numbers wizard to help us tally and we’ve found our winner!  Of course, you’re all winners, but we mean the winner.  And the Grammy goes to Matt Dimick.  (We think Matt is one lucky guy.)

If you didn’t win this time, don’t fret. Rachel and I agreed we should do this sort of thing more often.  It may not be a pick six (man, I miss football), but we guarantee our giveaways will consist of awesome pages—the kind that stay with you. In fact, if the book that arrived from Amazon yesterday is half as good as I suspect it is, I’ll immediately buy a copy for one of you guys. How about that?  Thanks for being part of this. We love talented readers almost as much as we love genius writers!

Posted by Tracy

You Don't Have To Love Football To Love This Book

"There has never been a QB like Steve Young, and there has never been a football memoir quite like [this one.] Young's battles with anxiety make you forget you are reading about a Hall of Famer, and make you root for him at every turn." —Michael Rosenberg

I'm not a sports memoir kinda gal. Pretty sure the last (only?) one I read was Chris Evert's when I was around 10 and on my way to becoming the next tennis phenom. (In my head, anyway.) I blame Nancy Drew for ending my short-lived foray into sports memoirs, and while I'm throwing blame around, my failed tennis dreams as well. There wasn't time for hitting the courts or perusing memoirs—Nancy and I had mysteries to solve!

So even though I have connections to Steve Young (one brother is a close friend and one is president of his foundation), I can't say I jumped at the prospect of reading his book. Because again...it's a sports memoir. Then I watched ESPN's A Football Life: Steve Young (a short documentary on Steve's career with excerpts from the book) and suddenly this sports memoir became the very book I wanted to read next. And boy am I glad I did. 

This book is about so much more than football. It's about what it takes to fight your way from 8th string quarterback to All-American, how a friendship formed in room 9023 proved life-sustaining, and how one of the best quarterbacks in NFL history secretly faced an inward foe far more menacing than any defensive lineman. I was hooked from the first chapter of this inspiring page-turner. You read that right, I said page-turner. As Jim Nantz writes, "[Steve's] passion, preparation, and attention to detail are so vivid you'll feel as though this QB put you right in the middle of a huddle of life." 

QB: My Life Behind the Spiral is one of those rare finds that can claim both a 16-year-old pigskin enthusiast and an 87-year-old grandma as ardent fans. It's a great story, well-told. Doesn't get better than that.

*Click here for a great interview with Steve Young about the his book on CBS Sunday Morning.

Posted by Rachel

NyQuil and a Real Whodunnit

“The most poetical thing in the world is not being sick.” ― G.K. Chesterton, The Man Who Was Thursday: A Nightmare

In case you've all been sick with worry over where I've been the last couple weeks (humor me and pretend you've noticed my absence), I thought I'd pop in and assure you all that I'm okay. Thanks so much for asking. I've had arguably the worst cold in the history of colds but I'm rallying and it would appear I'll survive.

My purpose for dropping by is not to garner sympathy—although politeness would require I accept offers of food, house cleaning, Coke Zero, or if so inclined, a new Boden frock—I'm here to tell you that the next best thing to NyQuil is a great listen. When you're feverish, achy, and too sick to lift a paperback or hold your eyes open, audio books are your best friend.

Speaking of best friends, I downloaded The Dry on Tracy's recommendation and it was a real whodunnit indeed. Kept my Nancy Drew-trained mind guessing to the very end. And Steven Shanahan's Aussie accent provided some serious ear candy. Tray comes through with a clutch pick once again. Good on ya, mate.

P.S. Have you entered our Super Terrific Giveaway? If not, keep scrolling to the next post to enter!

Posted by Rachel

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