The Best of 2020

Dear friends,

As you most likely know, my book reading and writing was slightly off this year: first, when I was sick with Covid, and then because I just couldn’t read up to speed. I’m pretty much back on track now, with a hopper full of wonderful books and a new-found purpose to tell my story through the books I read.

So, here are my favorites of 2020.

Fiction

The Cold Millions by Jess Walter. Great characters in an historical setting that was unfamiliar to me. This was my favorite book of the year.

The Dutch House by Ann Patchett. You can’t go wrong with Ann Patchett. The book is a profound look at what makes family.

American Dirt by Jeanine Cummins. Although it was embroiled in reviewer controversy, I found it to be an inspiring tale of migrants moving north.

The Lager Queen of Minnesota by J. Ryan Stradal. You know how I love books about my home state. This delightful book is more about women’s fortitude than it is about beer.

The Guest List by Lucy Foley. Great psychological thriller set on an island off the coast of Ireland.

The Bitch by Pilar Quintana. A profound study of grief and pain distilled in only 155 pages.

A Children’s Bible by Lydia Millet. A prophetic allegory about children, fear, greed, and lousy parenting. Fabulously designed and written.

Nonfiction

Nobody’s Looking at You by Janet Malcolm. A series of essays about and interviews with people whose names are familiar, like Eileen Fisher and Rachel Maddow. Extremely insightful and well-written.

Wow, No Thank You by Samantha Irby. Some of the best inappropriate, introspective writing you are likely to find.

We are the Weather by Jonathan Safran Foer. A steadfast argument to take climate change seriously. The Kalamazoo Community Read 2020.

The Hope of Glory by Jon Meacham. An insightful, thoughtful look at the last words of Jesus, from one of America’s prolific non-fiction writers.

And now, we move on to 2021. It’s gonna be a good reading year. Already, I have a big pile of great books—Braiding Sweetgrass by Robin Wall Kimmerer, The Water Dancer by Ta-Nehisi Coates, Moonflower Murders by Anthony Horowitz, and Eat a Peach by David Chang.

Happy New Year.

 

The Book of Longings

 By Sue Monk Kidd

Viking     2020

418 pages     Historical Fiction

Maybe I shouldn’t be writing about The Book of Longings because I didn’t finish reading it, but we had such a good discussion about it at my spiritual growth book group Zoom meeting that I feel compelled to say a few words about it.

Here is a brief summary of the book from the publisher.

“In her mesmerizing fourth work of fiction, Sue Monk Kidd takes an audacious approach to history and brings her acclaimed narrative gifts to imagine the story of a young woman named Ana. Raised in a wealthy family with ties to the ruler of Galilee, she is rebellious and ambitious, with a brilliant mind and a daring spirit. She engages in furtive scholarly pursuits and writes narratives about neglected and silenced women. Ana is expected to marry an older widower, a prospect that horrifies her. An encounter with eighteen-year-old Jesus changes everything.

Their marriage evolves with love and conflict, humor and pathos in Nazareth, where Ana makes a home with Jesus, his brothers, and their mother, Mary. Ana’s pent-up longings intensify amid the turbulent resistance to Rome’s occupation of Israel, partially led by her brother, Judas. She is sustained by her fearless aunt Yaltha, who harbors a compelling secret. When Ana commits a brazen act that puts her in peril, she flees to Alexandria, where startling revelations and greater dangers unfold, and she finds refuge in unexpected surroundings. Ana determines her fate during a stunning convergence of events considered among the most impactful in human history.”

Sue Monk Kidd was inspired to write the a novel about Jesus’ wife after she read an account of an ancient gospel manuscript discovered in 2014 which seemed to have been written by Jesus’ wife. While the manuscript was later debunked as fake, it set off Kidd’s imagination. A lot of research followed, the character of Ana was created, and The Book of Longings emerged. That is one of the things that I greatly admire about Kidd. She has an extraordinary imagination.

Kidd is a very skilled writer, the novel is very readable, and Ana, who became Jesus’ wife, is a wonderful, creative character. One of the reviewers suggests that it is a “richly imagined first-person narrative.” I loved Ana’s independence, her fierceness, and her daring. I am not sure, however, that a teenaged girl would have been so brazen in Nazareth at that time—and survived to tell her tale. The other part that worried me was how Kidd inserted Biblical events into the experience of this young girl—and a very young Jesus. There is the Samaritan story, happening right before her eyes, as well as many other events—seemingly an attempt to promote authenticity. One little thing that bugged me was that Judas was Ana’s brother in the narrative. Why, I don't know. Maybe it felt a little contrived.

What I liked the most was the discussion that emerged in our group about Biblical narrative and the contextual treatment of women. We decided that perhaps Kidd’s  major purpose was to promote the understanding of the role of women through the generations, and how the Biblical narrative has been used to undermine the role of women in the Christian church. Was there a place for feminism in the Biblical narrative? Was this Kidd's intent? The women in my group all  had stories to tell of being relegated to an underlying place in the church, particularly the women who had theological degrees. We learned a lot about each other in the discussion. I am glad that The Book of Longings served that purpose for our group. I wondered how the book would have fared in a less theologically liberal group of women. Or in a Catholic book group, because the fact that Jesus was married might undermine one of the key tenants of Catholicism.

I have enjoyed Sue Monk Kidd’s books in varying degrees. In pre-blogging days, I read The Secret Life of Bees and The Mermaid Chair and enjoyed them as well as The Invention of Wings, which I reviewed in 2015. I read Traveling with Pomegranates, which I didn’t much like, and now The Book of Longings, which I must admit was difficult for me to get through, as much as I related to Ana’s struggle to find her voice.

You will have to make the decision for yourself as you read. It is beautifully written, but the story-line is a bit problematic.

Sue Monk Kidd’s website.

The Soup and Bread Cookbook

 

By Beatrice Ojakangas

University of Minnesota Press     2020

266 pages     Cookbook

Bea Ojakangas is a living legend in my hometown of Duluth, Minnesota. She had a restaurant for a time in our neighborhood. It was called Somebody’s House and served terrific sandwiches and other comfort foods. Thus, I was thrilled when I was offered an advanced copy of her book, The Soup and Bread Cookbook.

This is what I learned about her from a feature article in the Minneapolis Star Tribune.

 “The year was 1957, and a young cook, wife and soon-to-be first-time mother living on a military base in England entered her recipe for cheese bread into the Pillsbury Bake-Off. Beatrice Ojakangas didn't win first place that year -- the top prize went to Mrs. Gerda Roderer of Berkeley, Calif., who received $25,000 for her "Accordion Treats," a delicate horn-shaped walnut cookie. But Ojakangas' bread took the second grand prize and helped launched an enduring career that has included 27 cookbooks on a wide range of subjects, from whole grain breads to casseroles to pot pies to her specialty, Scandinavian cooking and baking.  

Ojakangas first appeared in Taste in a 1978 profile, the first of seven such features during the intervening 32 years (she was also a frequent contributor to the section in the 1990s). She may not have won the top prize, but in retrospect, Ojakangas may be the Bake-Off's biggest success story. After all, how many other food careers were launched with a single recipe?” 

The University of Minnesota Press recently reissued one of her popular cookbooks, The Soup and Bread Cookbook, which was first published in 2013. Actually, the University Press has declared that her cookbooks will never go out of print, because in part, she is the only Minnesota cook and cookbook author who is a James Beard  prize winner. I gave this particular cookbook to my sisters for Christmas this year.

 What I like about this particular cookbook is that the recipes are grouped by season. As I have learned from my own cooking, soup is seasonless when seasonal vegetables are used. And that is the point of her grouping by season. We are using the vegetables, etc. that we know are available during that particular season. I recently made her Cream of Tomato soup that was linked with her recipe for grilled cheese sandwiches.  Ah, you say, I know how to make grilled cheese, but have you ever made it with sliced apples and basil? The whole thing was so satisfying and comforting. I am ready to try some other recipes

 

Easy Cream of Tomato Soup

• 2 cups Basic Vegetable Broth (page 6) or low-sodium store-bought
• 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
• 4 cups crushed fresh tomatoes, or 1 can (28 ounces) crushed tomatoes
• 1 can (6 ounces) tomato paste
• 3/4 cup heavy (whipping) cream
• Salt and ground black pepper

In a soup pot, whisk together the broth, flour, tomatoes, and tomato paste and bring to a simmer, stirring, until slightly thickened. Using an immersion blender or a standard blender, puree the soup. Stir in the cream and season to taste with salt and pepper. Serve hot.

Old-Fashioned Grilled Cheese, Apple, and Basil Sandwiches 

Slices of crisp fall apples and fresh basil leaves lend a whiff of the season to this classic sandwich.

• ·         8 slices Basic Home-Baked Bread, white or wheat, or good-quality store-bought
• ·         8 thin slices extra-sharp Cheddar cheese
• ·         1 Fuji, Gala, or Granny Smith apple, thinly sliced
• ·         4 large fresh basil leaves
• ·         1 to 2 tablespoons butter, at room temperature

Arrange 4 of the bread slices on a work surface and place a slice of cheese on each. Top each evenly with the apple slices and a basil leaf. Top with the remaining cheese and the remaining 4 slices of bread.

Spread both sides of each sandwich with a little butter. Preheat a skillet, griddle, or panini press over medium heat. Toast the sandwiches over medium heat until golden and the cheese is melted, about 1 minute per side. Cut on the diagonal and serve.

In my opinion, Bea Ojakangas’ recipes are essentials for the home cook. The Soup and Bread Cookbook is a must have and is very representative of the entrepreneurial cook who created the recipes. I need to add that Bea is now 86 years old and many of her cookbooks are still in print. Also, You Tube has many wonderful videos of her in action; even a couple with Julia Child.

 Bea Ojakangas is Duluth’s pride and joy!

The Cold Millions

 By Jess Walter

Harper     2020

352 pages     Literary Fiction

Let me just say at the outset that there is no way I can do The Cold Millions justice in a book review. It was my favorite book of the year, but so different from my usual books that I hardly know where to begin.

Spokane Washington in 1909 was the scene of a major labor rebellion. The Dolan brothers, Gig and Rye, have arrived in the rough-and-tumble city looking for work. They have been traveling since their parents died, and at this point Gig is in his early 20s and Rye is just 16. Rye just wants to find a place to sleep and a job to buy some food, while charismatic Gig sees in the union movement a place to make a difference, and he actively seeks out the danger of the moment. Rye follows along primarily to protect Gig from danger. When the rioting begins, Gig and Rye are both arrested and sent to jail. When the police discover that Rye is only 16, they release him, and he finds himself pulled in several directions by forces both good and evil. A remarkable  woman enters the scene and helps get Rye out of jail, promising that she will help get Gig out of jail as well. Her name is Elizabeth Gurley Flynn, and she is a Communist labor organizer. She rescues Rye and brings him with her to several places where he serves as her prop in the socialist speeches she makes at every stop. 

Elizabeth Gurley Flynn was a real person, and when Rye meets her, she is 19-years-old, has left her husband in Montana to embark on her Industrial Workers of the World union-building campaign. Oh, and did I say that she was pregnant. Believe me, in 1909, no one knew what to do with a 19-year-old pregnant woman union organizer. She is an incredible character in the book as she must have been in real life. In later years, she was the founder of the ACLU.

One of the great gifts of the book is Walter’s introduction to an amazing array of well-developed characters, from corrupt cops, to Ursula the Great, a vaudevillian who performs with a live cougar, to a powerful mining magnate who wants to stop the labor movement in its tracks. Every type of character that one can imagine in this rough and tumble world shows up and becomes fully developed by Walter’s skillful writing. 

The plot itself is a page turner. The reader is filled with dread for Rye and Gig, but especially Rye because of his youth and vulnerability. He is tossed and turned by the upheaval around him, when all he really wants is to find some stability in his life. I knew nothing about the labor movement of the early years of the 20^th century, but Gurley Flynn had rabble-roused all over the upper part of the United States, including the Iron Range of Minnesota, a place I know well. The unrest seems oddly reminiscent of the Civil Rights era of the 1960s and the divisions of the current day. Was this one of the author’s intentions? Perhaps.

In all, The Cold Millions is not an easy read, but it is extremely engaging. Here is a sample paragraph:

“They woke on a ball field—bums, tramps, hobos, stiffs. Two dozen of them spread out on bedrolls and baskets in a narrow floodplain just below the skid, past taverns, tanners, and tents, shotgun shacks hung like hounds tongues over the Spokane River. Seasonal work over, they floated in from mines and farms and log camps, filled every flop and boardinghouse, slept in parks and alleys and the pavilions of traveling preachers, and, on the night just past, this abandoned ball field, its infield littered with itinerants, vagrants, floaters, Americans.”

I don’t know when I have read a novel so skillfully written with such forceful characters. I highly recommend it.

Here is a terrific review in the New York Times.

 

When You're Not OK: A Toolkit for Tough Times

 

By Jill Stark

Scribe     2020

147 pages     Self-Help

This little hardback book of wisdom came while I was reading Get Your Life Back for my church book group. Stark has formulated a series of beautiful meditations to help those of us who are dealing with all kinds of anxieties, both real and existential. I used several of the pages as I led the group. Here is the writeup.

“This is a self-care manual for the days when you feel alone — the days when you worry that you’re too weird or broken or unfixable to be normal. With compassion, humour, and honesty, Jill offers signposts to help you find the path back to yourself. Whether you’re having a bad day, or a run of bad days that seems never-ending, When You’re Not OK is an emotional first-aid kit for your body, mind, and soul, written by someone who’s been there too.”

Some of the writings are a page or two, some a paragraph, some just a sentence. They all cause the reader to pause and regroup. Many of the bits of advice are similar to those of Eldridge in Get Your Life Back, but Stark is very concise. Her meditations could be read during the “one minute pause.”

Here is a lovely page. “Dance. Like no one’s watching. Whenever you can. Wherever you can. It’s good for the body, but more importantly, it’s good for the soul. Dance the way you did when you were a kid. Cut loose. Let your body move whichever way feels comfortable. Just dance.”

The other day, I picked up my grandchildren to bring them to my house for afternoon online school. My 9-year-old granddaughter was frantically trying to gather up her things, plus the things she wanted to play with. My 8-year-old grandson couldn’t get his shoes and socks on. Their mom had to get back online to teach her next class. Everyone huffed and puffed out of the house, with my granddaughter yelling at her brother. When we got in the car, I stopped, calmed myself, and then demonstrated  deep breathing for them, and told them how to pause to get things better. Then I said, “It will take us about 5 minutes to get back to Grandma’s house. We are not going to talk on the car ride, and you are going to practice deep breathing. When we get to the house, everything will be ok." Sure enough, the children bounded out of the car, set up their computers for afternoon school, and everything was calm, peaceful, and happy.

The Library Journal review says that When You’re Not OK is a “handy, feel-good volume of tips and advice for contented living.” It would be a delightful stocking stuffer for a dear friend or family member.

 

Get Your Life Back: Everyday Practices for a World Gone Mad

 

By John Eldredge

Nelson Books     2020

213 pages     Spiritual

Get Your Life Back by John Eldredge was the first book that I read as I contemplated surviving the pandemic. I actually received it from the publisher and then used it with my spiritual growth book group. We found it so meaningful that we discussed it (on Zoom, of course) over the span of two months.

John Eldredge is a pastor, counselor, and author. In this book, he offers everyday spiritual practices “for a world gone mad.” The fascinating thing is that while he wrote the book pre-pandemic, it fits so perfectly to our lives now. He is speaking of the pace of life, the crush of media, and the craziness of the political scene. I read the book from all of those perspectives but primarily of the place the pandemic has brought us to—where we can’t go out, where we can’t see family and friends, and where we can’t celebrate holidays. I wondered if he had written the book a few months later, what would he have added to his everyday practices.

At the outset, Eldredge asks these questions:

·         Are you happy most of the time”

·         How often do you feel lighthearted?

·         Are you excited about your future?

·         Do you feel deeply loved?

·         When was the last time you felt carefree?

If you are like me, you can’t answer those questions positively. To that end, Eldredge offers spiritual suggestions and practices that can bring you into focus, calmness, and spiritual awareness. The first suggestion that I tried and found beneficial is to insert the practice of the One Minute Pause into my day. That means to stop, breathe deeply, and calm myself down before I moved forward. Another practice I have really found beneficial is to enjoy the nature that is around me. That practice, for me, means to celebrate something that I see outside every day. It could be a new bird at the birdfeeder, or the mother and baby deer in the yard. I have been writing that moment down with a brief explanation of why it was meaningful to me.

 The most beneficial practice for me has been to offer myself some kindness. I tend to be a person who is constantly putting the needs of others ahead of my own. I had to work hard to take some Miriam breaks. One of my friends found the practice of cutting out technology and the news to be the most helpful for her.

Eldredge offers examples from his own life, which makes the book very personal and healing. I found myself relating on a very real level with his experiences and adding his stories to my own. I connected his stories and my stories, moving  to a higher level of spiritual growth, longing for the peace of God in my life.

And herein became a small problem with the book. Eldredge speaks of God as “he.” I found that to be an annoyance, and I had to work to get around it. I appreciated so much what I was learning and I was growing as I read the book, but I could not get around the pronoun. Additionally, there is a chapter that speaks of evil and the devil. My belief system has little room for this, so I chose not to read it. Others in my book club felt the same way. But we all felt that we had gained so much that we could read around that chapter.

We used Get Your Life Back as a discussion book, but Eldredge does have a study guide and videos to go with the book, so it could be a course over several sessions.

Get Your Life Back came to me at an appropriate time in my life, and I continue to benefit from what I gained from reading it. The Publisher’s Weekly review says, “this restorative guide will appeal to faithful readers wishing to slow down their lives to live out God’s plan.”

Eight Reasons to Return

 

I

1. I've started reading again.

          2. I like to write about books.

           3. I understand that blogging may be a thing of the past.

            4. I also know that Blogger is a simple platform for my purposes.

            5. I am using Blogger as an online diary.

            6. I'm an old woman and I have to write things down.

            7. I keep asking myself, "Did I read that one?"

            8. I have hundreds of books on my Kindle to be read, as well as many hardbound new releases.

Finally, my revelation today is that I am going to release myself from the pressure of feeling that I need to get books read before publication day, and just read what I want, when I want.

SO THERE!