The Year of Living Danishly

The Year of Living Danishly by Helen Russell

Read November 2021 - Zoom Reading Circle

I really loved this book!  And it sure makes me want to visit Denmark.  The author, Helen Russell, and her husband move from England to Denmark for his new job with Lego corporation.  Helen discovers that Denmark is considered the happiest nation in the world so decides to spend their year there figuring out exactly why that is so.  Each month she sets out to learn about one aspect of happiness such as Hygge, letting go of a typical 9-5 schedule, and embracing tradition.  Along the way she gives us great insight into the country of Denmark and the culture there and so often makes the reader (at least this reader) laugh out loud!  I was reading the March section about their 'adventure at evening pool time' and almost had to get out of bed and leave the room, I was laughing so hard... thought I would wake up my husband!  Others in my book club listened to the audiobook and highly recommend that version since it is narrated by the author herself and she is just so darn funny!  

When reading this book, it is impossible not to make comparisons to the US - where Denmark is the good opposite.  It unfortunately illuminates our shortfalls in education, universal healthcare, equity, safety net for all, and caring about community as much as (or more than) self.  However, I also appreciated that she added at the end of the book that there are problems in Denmark, too.  And sadly, racism is one.  On the flip side, the complete lack of faith in God was apparent and gnawed at me.  The total humanist element of Denmark made me uneasy.  I don't believe you must choose between the two sides, though.  In fact, caring for others IS a Christian quality (or it should be). I definitely plan to go through this book again - and will listen to the audio version next time.  :)

Quote from the book...

What Danes really cared about, Christian told me, was trust: "In Denmark, we trust not only family and friends, but also the man or woman on the street - and this makes a big difference to our lives and happiness levels."

They don't choose a profession based on how much they're going to earn.  They choose it based on what interests them.  Education is free to anyone can train in whatever they want.  You know you're going to get taxed a lot anyway, so you may as well just focus on doing what you love, rather than what's going to land you a massive salary. 

It turns out it is easier to live 'the American Dream' here than it's ever likely to be in the US.

Diversity enhances us, rather than diminishing us.  Diversity has been shown time and again to be good for the economy and there's a strong relationship between diversity, inclusivity, and wellbeing. 

Denmark is considered one of the happiest places in the world - Today

How trust contributes to Danish happiness - Helen Russell

A Year in Provence

A Year in Provence by Peter Mayle
Read November 2021 - Zoom Reading Circle

I listened to this audiobook and enjoyed it a lot.  British author Peter Mayle and his wife realized their long held dream of buying an old farmhouse in Provence, France.  This book is a chronicle of their first year of renovating the 200 year old farmhouse and all the travails and experiences.  In the midst of the slow workers, leaky pipes and disappointments, we hear about all the luscious food and drink Mayle and his wife encounter.  That alone is a reason to read this book! All the food and dinner descriptions are so tempting... you find yourself getting very hungry throughout this book!  I was intrigued by the aperitif or digestif that was mentioned as being one complete course of a meal.  Shortly after reading this book my friend, Dana, had a digestif at a restaurant in New York City - and then we tried one at wine club.  Full circle!  :)  The digestif did indeed sort of settle the stomach and allow you to not feel as full, just as Peter Mayle shared was his experience in the book.  

Quote from the book...

The two areas of endeavor in which France leads the world - bureaucracy and gastronomy - had combined to put us in our place. 

Peter Mayle on... Provence as his muse

Peter Mayle on... his well-fed characters

Liturgy of the Ordinary

Liturgy of the Ordinary by Tish Harrison Warren

Read October 2021 - Books With Friends

I loved this book and look forward to re-reading it again in the future.  It is gentle and beautiful, but also filled with many important points.  The author points out how the everyday moments of our days can and should help us become more aware of God's presence... that there is sacred in the ordinary and ordinary in the sacred.  She uses everyday occurrences such as making the bed, brushing your teeth, eating leftovers, calling a friend, and drinking tea to bring home the idea that all of these things, and more, can become spiritual practices... there is holiness in every day. 

Quotes from the book...

There is no task too small or too routine to reflect God's glory and worth.  

How I spend this ordinary day in Christ is how I will spend my Christian life.

The kind of spiritual life and disciplines needed to sustain the Christian life are quiet, repetitive, and ordinary.  I often want to skip the boring, daily stuff and get to the thrill of an edgy faith.  But it's in the dailiness of the Christian faith - the making of the bed, the doing the dishes, the praying for our enemies, the reading the Bible, the quiet, the small - that God's transformation takes root and grows.  

The Library Book

The Library Book by Susan Orlean

Read October 2021 - Well Read Book Club

This was an interesting book, albeit a bit slow in places.  Some in the book club thought it was a bit boring but I found it utterly charming.  I loved the history of all the libraries, librarians, and random tidbits of book information thrown in.  Of course, I come from a family who would stop at libraries while traveling.  :)  The author weaves all these historical tidbits in alongside a mystery surrounding the 1986 fire at the Los Angeles Public Library.  I would highly recommend this book to anyone who has a love of books - you will learn a lot and might even create a new list of libraries you might like to visit in the process.  :) 

Why a library fire feels like 'an attack on humanity' - PBS Newshour

The Truth According to Us

The Truth According to Us by Annie Barrows
Read October 2021 - Zoom Reading Circle

This was our second novel under the theme of 'Southern Fiction' and while it was quite enjoyable, it also had a male character who caused so much pain and sorrow... that recurring theme in this book and also Call Your Daughter Home made for a heavy month of reading in some ways.  However, this book also had strong female characters that you just couldn't help but root for.  The premise of the story is the arrival of a houseguest, Layla Beck, into the home of 12 year old Willa Romeyn and her family.  Layla is the spoiled daughter of a US Senator who has come to the small West Virginia mill town of Macedonia as part of the New Deal Federal Writer's Project to record the history of the town.  Her arrival, and quest for a story, stirs up many secrets in the Romeyn family and the community of Macedonia.  The author, Annie Barrows, was also co-author with her aunt of the book The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society, which I loved!  

Quotes from the book...

Why, I can be more ladylike than anyone, as long as I can keep myself from saying the first thing that pops into my mind. 

To be clever in a town like Macedonia is something of a social hazard.

I've learned that history is the autobiography of the historian, that ignoring the past is the act of a fool, and that loyalty does not mean falling into line, but stepping out of it for the people you love. 

It was forgiveness, but it sounded like good-bye, too. 

The Truth About 1938 - from Annie Barrows website

http://anniebarrows.com/grown-up-books/the-truth-according-to-us/the-truth-about-1938/

This book definitely made me want to know more about the WPA and Federal Writer's Project. 

Soul of a People: Writing America's Story

In case you are interested, here is a link to The American Guide Series by the WPA Federal Writer's Project.  You can search alphabetically for all cities and states. 

https://libguides.rowan.edu/c.php?g=248106

I also found this New York Times opinion article fascinating - making the case for a new WPA Federal Writer's Project today.  

https://www.nytimes.com/2021/07/06/opinion/federal-writers-project.html

Call Your Daughter Home

Call Your Daughter Home by Deb Spera

Read October 2021 - Zoom Reading Circle

This has been called an unforgettable story of motherhood and I would not argue with that assessment.  The book is about three women whose lives become entwined in a small southern community as they struggle to keep their families together and fight against injustices - of all kinds.  The 'voices' of these women do stand out.  In fact, those in our book club who listened to the audiobook highly recommended that version for that very reason.  I enjoyed the book but found myself so frustrated by it at times, too.  I kept wanting Annie to wake up and realize what a beast her husband was.  And Gertrude made me crazy.  I loved Oretta, though.  Note that this is an extremely heavy book... 

Quotes from the book...

Worry is something I've never understood.  What good does it do except drain possibility from the day?

Children are such a wave, the birthing and caring and rearing.  When you're in the throes it all seems interminable.  Then, whoosh, it's over.  I don't know why I was surprised when the children grew up, but I was.  I thought, in their youth, it would last forever.  Now I see it was my own youth, not theirs that was speaking.  The past is now and now and now.  

Call Your Daughter Home Has Deep Roots in Real Life - NPR article

https://www.npr.org/2019/06/14/732395024/call-your-daughter-home-has-deep-roots-in-real-life

Deb Spera- Call Your Daughter Home

A Life on Our Planet

A Life on Our Planet: My Witness Statement and a Vision for the Future by David Attenborough

Read September 2021 - Well Read Book Club

I am so glad I read this book!  This is one of those books that I recommend you read (the book is chockfull of photos from throughout David Attenborough's life and career) and also listen to as he is the narrator of his story.  The book is laid out over the course of his own lifetime.  He includes snippets of information showing how much forest is left at each point in his life (going down with each year) and how many extinctions of animals and plants (going up with each year).  Those little snippets at the start of each chapter are powerful in their own right.  He outlines the effects of climate change in ways that are obvious and not so obvious.  It feels like a heavy weight... but he doesn't leave us there.  He gives good hopeful suggestions for how nations are addressing the issues effectively and how individual people can also participate in turning things around, or at least slowing the decline.  If only we would all listen to him.  

Quotes from the book...

By the end of the twentieth century, mankind had removed 90% of the large fish from all the oceans of the world. 

To restore stability to our planet, therefore, we must restore its biodiversity, the very thing we have removed.  It is the only way out of this crisis that we ourselves have created.  We must rewild the world. 

David Attenborough: A Life on Our Planet - official trailer for the Netflix documentary

News of the World

News of the World by Paulette Jiles

Read September 2021 - Zoom Reading Circle

Captain Jefferson Kyle Kidd performs live readings of newspapers throughout small northern Texas towns.  After one reading he is offered money to deliver a young girl to her relatives near San Antonio and he accepts.  The girl, Johanna, was kidnapped by Kiowa raiders 4 years earlier after he family was killed and she no longer remembers that life. She is determined to escape and return to the only people she has ever known, the Kiowa.  But throughout the treacherous journey south the Captain and the girl, Johanna, eventually bond as they escape dangers of all kinds.  The 71 year old Captain is determined to get the 10 year old girl safely to her long lost relatives, but there will be more decisions for him to make when they reach their destination.  Throughout my reading of this book I saw and heard Captain Kidd as Tom Hanks (the movie had been released, although I have yet to see it.)

Quotes from book...

More than ever knowing in his fragile bones that it was the duty of men who aspired to the condition of humanity to protect children and kill for them if necessary. 

Life was not safe and nothing could make it so, neither fashionable dresses nor bank accounts.  The baseline of human life was courage. 

Book Trailer - News of the World by Paulette Jiles

News of the World movie trailer