Recent Good Reading

 I loved McCracken's bittersweet tale of the love that develops between a lonely young librarian and a boy who can't stop growing.  It's a fascinating look at quirky personalities, the difficulty of being different, and the nature of love itself. And the words, the words! the wonderful use of language -- such a delight! The Guardian has a nice review of it HERE.  But what I really would like to know is what any of my librarian or ex-librarian friends think about the main character's musings on her profession. 

Admittedly, the book is set in mid-twentieth century America -- long before librarians had computers and all that comes with them as a part of their job description. Back when there were library cards of the sort I was longing for ... 

Ann Patchett's tale -- also replete with quirky personalities and bittersweet love and also set in the Fifties -- takes place in a rather charming home for unwed mothers, run by (mostly) very pleasant nuns. It's the story of Rose, pregnant and fleeing a stultifying marriage, who seeks refuge at the home and stays on ... 

It's a strangely charming story that makes me hope that some of the girls who disappeared mysteriously from high school, only to return some months later, accompanied by whispers and rumors, were at a place equally pleasant. The New York Times has more HERE.

Liz Zelvin's ebook (below) is a fine read for adults and young adults -- and I hope a lot of them read it for a look at the effect Columbus had on the world he 'discovered,'  for an understanding of the European/Christian view of  'savages,' and, as well, for a glimpse into the world of the hidden Jews -- those Spanish Jews trying to avoid the horrors of the Inquisition.  This book would be a great addition to school  curricula.

It's a bargain at 99 cents HERE.

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Faces in the Crowd

I was startled yesterday to find that PICASA, the program I use to manage my pictures, had decided on its own initiative to go through all my pictures and single out the faces. I don't normally take a lot of pictures of people -- except maybe at a mystery convention, so I was surprised to see that PICASA had managed to find well over a thousand. They included all sorts of faces  from all sorts of photos -- a romance novel cover, African fabric with a picture of Obama on it, a votive candle, a tile in my kitchen, a photograph on the wall of a restaurant in Indianapolis, two photographs that were in the background of a larger shot, and of course any number of real people.

So I felt compelled to do something with all these faces. And here they are.

There are several mystery authors represented including a good looking guy who's a NYT Bestseller, a southern-fried lawyer, a NY substance abuse counselor, and a perky little Canadian.

Friends and family are there, a couple of women who were in a quilting class I once taught, and more than one face I have no idea about.

More mystery authors, more family, a book cover face, a mystery man or two, and one dog. Recognize anyone?

I can't wait to see what PICASA does next. I wish it would go organize my pantry.