Books I read while I COVIDed

Bits and Pieces: My Mother, My Brother and Me by Whoopi Goldberg—Let me be honest, I am a big fan of Whoopi Goldberg. I enjoy her comedy, and I identify with her politics and her feminism. I admire her acting and I’m an unapologetic viewer of The View (an unscripted women’s talk show featuring Goldberg, as host and five other women discussing the news of the day). But most of all, I respect her honesty. And this book is honest.

Bits and Pieces is not a tell all memoir but a response to her grief following the death of her mother, Emma and five years later, her brother, Clyde. They were all she had when she was growing up in the projects of New York City.

 As a single mother, life was not easy for Emma Johnson, especially with a child like Caryn (Whoopi’s birth name) who wanted to live her own life as she saw it. Suffering from dyslexia, but not knowing what it was, Caryn relied on her mother to guide her through school. Knowing that school couldn’t teach them everything, she used New York as a teaching tool, taking advantage of all that the city had to offer, including museums, classes and the performing arts.

When Caryn was 8 years old, Emma broke down and had to be hospitalized. Caryn and Clyde stayed with their aunt and sometimes with their father. This went on for two years, and when Emma returned from the hospital after having electroshock treatment, she looked the same, but she wasn’t all there. Even though at first, she didn’t even recognize her children, she faked it until little by little she became the woman that she once was. And she was again there for Caryn and Clyde.

She was there when Whoopi decided to quit high school, when Whoopi went into show business, changed her name while offering her suggestions, and when Whoopi became pregnant. She was never not there, no matter how far away they were from each other.

This is not a polished memoir, but it is heartfelt and fascinating. And worth the read.

Begin Again by Helly Acton—Frankie was 36 years old, ready to celebrate her birthday, on yet another blind date which she couldn’t finish. Instead, she sneaks out and comforts herself with a kebab. After an unintended fall and an unintended choke, she dies.

But that is just the beginning of the story. She finds herself in an office with some choices to make. Mable (some sort of afterlife counselor) tries to explain to her that she can decide on one of the three paths that she could have taken in her life, return to her old life, or go “straight to her final destination”. And that is the crux of this novel.

At first it reminded me of Bridget Jones from the book, the movie and the diary, but Frankie develops into a 3-dimensional character with a lot of back stories. Begin Again made me think about the choices we’ve all had in our lives and specifically what I would do. It’s a quick read, perfect for the beach and even for your book club…think about that discussion!  

The Very Long Strange Life of Isaac Dahl: a Novel by Bart Yates—96-year-old Isaac Dahl tells us the story of his long life, that of his family and the saga that is the 20th century and into the 21st.  But not every day…only the 12 most important days, most important for him, for his family or for the country. He begins in Bingham Utah when he and his family are struck by an avalanche and 8-year-old Isaac and his twin sister, Agnes are stuck in an upside-down bathtub which ultimately saves them, but not their parents.

We next see them as teenagers living in the Oklahoma Dust Bowl with their uncle and lifelong friend, Bo. Each chapter paints a vivid picture of Isaac and his always combative but loving relationship with Agnes. We skip ahead to 1942 when journalist Isaac serves aboard the USS Huston and faces the horrors of war that never really leave him. We experience the Civil Rights Movement, the AIDS crisis and his growing extended family. We live through their births and deaths and the days that are just plain life. This novel was narrated with humor and affection, one that you can recommend to just about anyone.

Normal Rules Don’t Apply: Stories by Kate Atkinson—Here is my advice to anyone that reads works by Kate Atkinson: Pay attention! I learned this when I read her first book Behind the Scenes at the Museum, where there are clues everywhere. The same is true for her latest short stories where you soon realize they are interrelated. Part fairytale, part dystopia, all are a wink to the reader.

Franklin, the most repeated character in these stories, tries to write a book on chaos theory, meets a no-nonsense woman named Connie and her very strange family, and listens carefully to a talking horse. We meet a house full of stuffed animals living under the cruel regime of a young child. In “The Void” life comes to a halt for five minutes when anyone caught outside was killed. And it happens again every day, five minutes later. No one understands why. Don’t worry, you’ll meet the void again in other stories.

The Madstone by Elizabeth Crook—The year is 1868- and 20-year-old Benjamin, a wood carver is quietly living his life in Comfort, Texas when a harried man, Dickie leaps off a stagecoach to use the double privy in the middle of town. This is the beginning of a life changing event for Benjamin. Because the stagecoach ultimately leaves without Dickie and his very important bag, he strikes a deal with Benjamin to meet the stagecoach at Boerne, a nearby town. Much occurs during this part of the trip…they meet a barefoot man, stripped of his possessions by thieves and pick him up, only to meet the thieves again, and a pregnant woman with her 4-year-old boy, riding in the coach. It is to this 4-year-old “Tot” that the book is written, by Benjamin, years later.

So, it is written in the 2^nd person, in old western English, the mostly true story of this tiny group on their way to Galveston. They are assaulted by nature in the form of a hailstorm, by a rabid coyote, by thieves, a curse and worst, by the brothers of Nell’s husband. But they are also helped by Horhay, a Black Seminole, and the madstone that he shares to save Tot’s life.

This is an incredible tale that keeps the pages turning. And if you want more, as I did, after finishing this novel, read the prequel, sequel and possibly “sidequel” The Which Way Tree, also narrated by Benjamin.

I was not familiar with Elizabeth Crook, but I am now. If you are a fan of Paulette Jiles as I am (News of the World) you will certainly enjoy this western odyssey.

Well, this is the end of my summer reading, stay-at-home and wonder if this will ever end (COVID, not the books). Happy to report that I am allowed to go about my business now. My tip to you…get your vaccine and wear a mask in the airport. And tell me about any fabulous books that you’re reading!