Mostly I've been reading ARC's this fall. . . books coming out next year . . . but here's a few treasures just released or about to be released this month and early December.
When We Flew Away - Alice Hoffman
“In the year when I was 12, I discovered many of the books that have meant the most to me, books that changed my life. The book that affected me more than any other was ‘The Diary of a Young Girl,’ by Anne Frank. It changed the way I looked at the world. It changed the person I was and the person I would become." — Alice Hoffman
Wondering what Anne's life would have been before going into hiding, where she wrote her diary, Alice Hoffman conducted research to create her story of Anne, her family, and the city of Amsterdam before the Nazi occupation that uprooted them from their home and existence. The book is a collaboration with the Anne Frank House in Amsterdam and the children's book publisher Scholastic. Riveting and utterly heart-breaking, the novel is a must for younger readers to understand the impact of institutionalized hatred and discrimination.
A Few Words In Defense of Our Country:; The Biography of Randy Newman - Robert Hilburn
Music critic Robert Hilburn's biography of the brilliant musician, Randy Newman is a tribute to "one of America's all-time greatest songwriters." The shy boy who suffered with strabismus (crossed eyes) and whose musical family wrote Hollywood movie scores for decades, grew up to become the prolific songwriter of sociopolitical songs and many many Hollywood film scores. Randy Newman's songs have always struck home for me, songs about the country's racial injustice and social inequalities, though he is most known for You've Got a Friend in Me, his Big Hit Wonder for the Toy Story movie. Rolling Stone claimed "Newman's 'Sail Away' tells us more about America than the 'Star-Spangled Banner'." Luminaries such as Bob Dylan, Paul Simon, Linda Ronstadt, Bonnie Raitt, James Taylor, as well as family members and friends contributed to this detailed and well-deserved dive into Newman's life and career.
Water, Water - Billy Collins
A common thread for former Poet Laureate Billy Collins is the humor and curiosity of the everyday moment. His poems allow the reader to recognize ordinary objects and thoughts for the reader to dwell on and then shake their head in cognizance and agreement. His 13th poetry collection, Billy Collins has been lauded as Poet Laureate of the United States from 2001 to 2003 and New York State Poet from 2004 to 2006, as well as being inducted in 2016 into the American Academy of Arts and Letters. If this new collection moves you, check out his earlier books. Each one is a unique delight.
The French Winemaker's Daughter - Loretta Ellsworth
A bittersweet WWII story about Martine, daughter of a French wine maker orphaned at age 7, and, in her adult life, the woman who connects Martine's legacy to a highly valuable bottle of wine stolen by the Nazis. I am a huge fan of WWII historical fiction and found this book to be a moving story of intrigue and survival and the power of people believing in each other and trusting honesty over greed.
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