Bibliophile

Why do I read

History,

Poetry,

Fiction, 

And more?

In the books I accumulate.

I travel while lying in bed,

Learning of cultures and customs

Around the world 

My books collect

In piles 

On bedside tables 

And on the bed,
A few half-read 

More books

Sit orderly—waiting

On shelves,

Floor to ceiling

Along two walls.

I made my goal of reading a hundred books this year! I get most of my books from kits from the library, the Little Libraries, secondhand bookstores around my town, and friends. I finished this year with an interesting memoir, The Invisible Wall, by Harry Bernstein—a coming-of-age love story written and published at the incredible age of ninety-three. He tells the story of growing up on a narrow street in a poverty-stricken mill town in England. The invisible wall was the division between Christian families on one side and Jewish families on the other. Separated by only a few feet of cobblestones but socially miles apart. Harry’s sister does the unthinkable, the forbidden, and falls in love with the Gentile boy on the other side of the street. The two lovers’ strength and the resilience of the residents to survive at all costs, honor their own, and still come together during times of struggle kept me reading all through the night before Christmas Eve.

Other books I have read this year that have affected me greatly were The Women by Kristin Hannah, which follows a San Diego debutante into the horror of the Vietnam War. Behind the story of Frankie, the protagonist, who is one of the lucky and brave who survived the daily gamble of life and death as a nurse on the front lines, the book shines a light on all women whose sacrifice and commitment to their country, was denied for so many years. 

I have re-read many books off my shelves this year to hone my collection, but mostly, it has been in vain, and only a few have made it into a pile for the second-hand book shops or my Little Library. Lisa Wingate’s books are generally a fast read for me. But the history behind her stories— A Thousand Voices, Before We Were Yours—the cruelty of the human race for gain, the pain and loss caused to so many children and parents. Her books affect my emotions because I also feel that someone hears me.

I read Red Paint by Sasha LaPointe, the story of her Salish heritage, the Whatcom Reads for 2024. I loved it. I had to rush out and buy the book chosen for 2025 because Erica Bauermister is a favorite author of mine. No Two Persons tells how every reader of the same book can be affected differently. As a member of a small book group, this concept fascinated me. It also makes me wonder about readers’ different views of my book, Chosen, a memoir of growing up in the Caribbean.

Another debut novel I read and loved was by Lana W. Holden, a fellow blogger and Pacific Northwest writer. Catalyntje Trico: A Life In New Amsterdam is a historical novel about a little-known woman who fled from Hainaut in the southern Netherlands to Amsterdam with her sister to escape the Spanish Inquisition in the 1600s. There, she met her husband, and three days later, they boarded a ship sailing to the New World. Catalyntje Trico is the story of a woman who lived for eighty-one years, had eleven live births, and had at least one hundred and fifty descendants. She and her husband started in a new country—with no friends, family, or even a house. This story is a powerful reminder of the impact our individual lives can have on others for generations to come. It is a wonderful, informative story about a woman of courage and determination. It fascinated me even more because I have ancestors with the same names as many of her family. It will be our book-group read for January. Thank you, Lana, for your precious book. I wish you much success. I also read Elske Howeler’s Left Behind, another Blogger I have followed. It is inspired by her Dutch grandmother, who took in and protected a young Jewish girl during the horrors of WWII. I wish her success with this book and others she will write.

I also re-read many books on my shelves for the second time with mixed feelings. Some I still loved, and some went to the used piles. Goodbye to Berlin, by Christopher Isherwood, I found tedious. But I enjoyedhis book The Meeting by the River more the second time. Milan Kundera’s Life is Elsewhere resonated with me when I read it for the first time years ago, shortly after my divorce. Life was no longer elsewhere. I have always loved books by Mitch Albom; they are short, poignant, and easy to read. His books will always stay on my shelves. 

Another author I hadn’t read until this year was Kate Quinn. I read The Huntress first, which was gripping, the main characters, and twisted together in their search for a Nazi Killer. I then read The Rose Code, which was about the British women codebreakers of the Enigma Machine. I may add a few more of her books to my reading list.