Shark Heart

Habeck, Emily. Shark Heart: A Love Story. New York : MarySue Rucci  2023. Print.

First Sentences:

Lewis: In the early days after I left New York, I would ruminate, doubt all my choices. But when I met you, I began to thank my failure. Maybe failing was a kind of miracle. Maybe everything happened just right. 

Description:

Please stick with me to read this review after I tell you the plot. It sounds wacky with a capital "W" I know, but I assure you that if you at least read this recommendation and then hopefully give this compelling novel a try, it will be very much worth your time and enjoyment.

 

Shark Heart by Emily Haback, is a love story between two young people, just as the book's subtitle announces. Wren ("like the bird") is a successful accountant satisfied with her "medium-sized life" of safe, ordinary choices. Lewis is an aspiring actor currently teaching junior high drama and directing his school's plays. They meet, court awkwardly, and eventually marry.

On one of her solo excursions, Wren met a man in a yellow shirt who made her feel that the world was a good place, and the world was a good place because she was someone living in it. 

So far, so good, right?

 

But then Lewis begins to notice small changes in his body: a flattening of his nose, patches of scaly skin on his back, slight protuberances on his sides, and "colors losing their vibrancy." The doctor calmly gives him the diagnosis. Lewis has the carcharodon carcharias mutation.

 

He is turning into a great white shark. There is no cure. 

 

But odd as this premise sounds, the book triumphs in so many ways. The characters Wren and Lewis continue with their lives, adapting to the gradual changes due to his condition. Their relationship is strong, loving, and deep, which comes through on every page with their conversations, actions, and time spent with each other. 

They are wonderful characters with no quit in them, people whom author Habeck paints with an honest, sincere brush without being sappy or succumbing to a farcical approach to this situation. 

Wren became soft and young when she was learning [with Lewis about plays, books, etc.]. and in these moments, Lewis pretended they'd gone back in time together. On this imagined plane, Lewis and Wren were sixteen years old, discovering new music and spiraling into the sort of cloudless love that fears no consequences.  

The second half of the book details the life of Wren's mother, Angela, pregnant with Wren at 15, and then leading a difficult life raising a child on her own while dealing with her own medical problems. But there is always a deep affection between mother and child that glows throughout this narrative which brings new clarity to the figure of Wren and her life before Lewis:

Angela and Wren interpreted the night sky in their own way, drawing and naming constellations. It was their secret language, an orbiting, silent elegy. For example, the Big and Little Dippers were two kites flying next to each other. Angela and Wren pretended they held the kite strings, keeping the taut universe floating.

I cannot give away any more. But please trust me that this is a book worth reading, an unusual plot that somehow makes sense, and love stories between multiple characters that are satisfying and admirable. The impression readers are left with is one of hope, love, adaptability, and perseverance. 

Give it a try and I don't think you will be disappointed.

[If this book interests you, be sure to check out:]

Kafka, Franz. The Metamorphosis.

One day a man, Gregor Samson, awakes to find himself turned into a giant insect. A classic tale of horror, questions, and adaptations.

 Happy reading.

Fred

[P.S. Click here to browse over 490 more book recommendations by subject or title and read the introduction to The First Sentence Reader.]

Wild Dark Shore - New First Sentence Reader recommendation

McConaghy, Charlotte. Wild Dark Shore. New York : Flatiron 2025. Print.

 

First Sentences:

I have hated my mother for most of my life but it is her face I see as I drown.

Description:

The setting of Wild Dark Shore by Charlotte McConaghy is an isolated island near Antarctica, 1500 miles from the nearest landmass. It is the home of an international seed preservation vault along with an non-functioning lighthouse. A family of four lives on this bitterly cold island, hired to oversee the seed vault ("built to withstand anything the world could throw at it; it was meant to outlast humanity"). They regularly check the temperature, any water leakage, and make any repairs to the equipment needed to maintain the vault and its contents. 

They are joined occasionally on this island by scientists studying the environment, animals, weather, and of course, the seed vault. Then, too, there are thousands of seals, penguins, walruses, albatrosses, whales, and other marine animals who, due to their isolated separation from humans, have no fear of the other inhabitants of this lonely site. The family members can freely intermingle among this wildlife.

This is a strong family, with deep ties to each other and acceptance of their roles on their close-knit team to complete the daily tasks set by their stern father to keep the vault and their own lives thriving.

 

You are not meant to have favorites, but my youngest is that...Not because we are least alike; That is my daughter and me. Maybe it is because he is curious and kind and so smart it can make your eyes water. Maybe it's because he whispers to the wind and hears its voice in return. Most likely I don't know why. But it may also be because, for one brief moment long ago. I wished him dead. 

Into this world during a tremendous storm, they discover woman's body floating offshore amongst the rocks. When the body is retrieved, the family is astonished to find woman is somehow alive. What she is doing in this part of the ocean is a mystery she keeps to herself as she slowly recovers and eventually joins the family in maintaining their work and lifestyles.

 

But she is not the only one hiding secrets. Each of the family members is carefully guarding their own individual secrets as well as possibly a bigger family secret. And the scientists? They've all recently left the island rather suddenly. They have noticed the sea water rising on the island due to global warming, signaling the end of their living quarters, experiments, and even the seed vault itself. But they have mysteriously decided to leave before the precious seeds were prepared to be moved to a safer location via the next supply ship...which is not scheduled to come for eight weeks. 

 

Worst of all, the family has only recently found that the entire communication system for the island was intentionally destroyed beyond repair. Coupled with the fact that all the electricity was knocked out by the storm that brought the woman into their lives, they realize that they have to rely on batteries, chargers, and their wits to move prepare the seeds until the supply ship comes. And also survive.

 

And that is how this engrossing book starts. Each brief chapter focuses on one of the characters, delving into each mind to reveal their thoughts, musings over decisions, rationalizations for their actions, and how they envision their own and their family's future. We slowly learn their secrets, get insight into their personalities, and understand the histories that affect their individual decisions.

 

This is a story of the power of love, of family, of duty, and of survival. All characters face the challenges of isolation, weather, tragedy, and family members every day as they fight to preserve the historic seeds and address relationships with those on the island and from their past. 

 

I loved this book and give it my highest recommendation. It is absorbing, tautly challenging, and completely unpredictable right up to its very edge-of-your-seat ending. Un-put-down-able.

[If this book interests you, be sure to check out these two:]

 Stedman, M.L. The Light Between Oceans.

A young couple, caretakers for a working lighthouse, find washed ashore on their remote island a small boat containing a baby. Should they try to find its parents or remain quiet and keep the child as their own? (Previously reviewed here.)

Stonex, Emma. The Lamplighters.

A historic novel based on the sudden disappearance of all three lighthouse keepers from their isolated station. When searched, the lighthouse was found to be in immaculate condition. But the men left no trace of their fate and they were never found. (Previously reviewed here.)

 Happy reading.

Fred

[P.S. Click here to browse over 490 more book recommendations by subject or title and read the introduction to The First Sentence Reader.]

 

Columbus Noir

 Welsh-Huggins, Andrew (ed). Columbus Noir. Brooklyn : Akashic 2020. Print.

First Sentences:

You can kill a lot more than time in Columbus these days. Gang slayings, fetanyl poisoning, murder-suicide: we have it all, soup to nuts. Yet it's not like the older, supposedly kinder and gentler Columbus had completely disappeared. 


Description:

I thought I had found a rare and unique gem in Columbus Noir (edited by Andrew Welsh-Huggins). What a great idea it presented: crime writings by authors from Columbus, Ohio, using their city as the backdrop for every one of their short stories. I revealed great writing from local authors of renown who allowed me to recognize landmark sites in Columbus along with familiar restaurants and neighborhoods on every page. 

 

Little did I know that Akashic Press, publishers of Columbus Noir, had created similar dark crime books from local authors for 123 different cities. So, while Colmbus Noir is not a unique concept, nonetheless it is well worth the time of any reader interested in this seedy mystery/detective/crime fiction, especially if you want to read offerings from authors you may not be familiar with which focus on Columbus.

 

Like all great noir fiction, this collection is full of tales of hardened men, gorgeous women, nefarious baddies, dark streets, and twisty plots. Always, one can never be certain which character is telling the truth, who is plotting a double cross, and who will come through (or run away) when the going gets tough, as it always does. 

 

The characters are clearly drawn, but full of complexities that are only revealed later. The plots are wildly compelling, offering no easy courses of action which will release the characters from threatening situations without engaging in some sort of evil or violent solutions. 

 

Here's a sampling of the crime stories you will find here:

• A college graduate assistant teacher who falls for a beautiful student, but soon needs to end the relationship without incriminating himself;

• A gossipy woman overhears the plans of a young woman and her fiance to marry without her parents' approval, then works behind the scenes to disrupt their future;

• A cop who has been stealing drugs from the police evidence storage is discovered by a ruthless criminal who threatens him with exposure;

• A beautiful real estate agent begins an affair with her ordinary-looking next door neighbor to start a house-flipping partnership;

• A young girl, seeking drugs for her abusive boyfriend, hides out in a cemetery where she meets an old man offering her shelter, wisdom, and maybe more. 

Needless to say, I devoured these tales quickly. Each story was gripping, full of questionable characters that I thought I knew and could predict their intentions and actions ... right up to the very end when everything always got turned on its head. A great read to curl up with and experience a darker side of Columbus and its inhabitants.

[If this book interests you, be sure to check out:]

Welsh-Huggins. The Mailman.

The editor of Columbus Noir has written this wonderfully gripping, unpredictable thriller that I only recently discovered. One of the best I have ever read, and now highly recommend it. 

 Happy reading.

Fred

[P.S. Click here to browse over 480 more book recommendations by subject or title and read the introduction to The First Sentence Reader.]

The Extraordinary Journey of the Fakir Who Got Trapped in an Ikea Wardrobe

Puertolas, Romain. The Extraordinary Journey of the Fakir Who Got Trapped in an Ikea Wardrobe. New York : Knopf 2014. Print.

First Sentences:

The first word spoken by the Indian man Ajatashatru Oghast Rathod upon his arrival in France was, oddly enough, a Swedish word. Ikea

Description:

Well, I'm not going to tell you much of anything about this delightful book except the premise and the factors that send the ensuing actions in motion:

• First, Ajatashatru Oghast Rathod ("pronounced a-jar-of-rat-stew-oh-gosh"  or "a-cat-in-a-bat-suit" among other helpful tips from the author), arrives in Paris with one mission in mind: find the nearest IKEA store, buy a bed of nails for sale at this store which he plans to use in his professional life as an Indian street fakir/con-man/magician), and then take the flight home to India with his purchase the following day. Simple, huh?

• But he falls asleep underneath a bed in the IKEA store until after closing and, to avoid detection, hides in a large display cabinet.

• The cabinet is unexpectedly sealed in bubble wrap by these security men and loaded onto a plane for delivery, never noticing its hidden content, and thus sealed him in.

• The cabinet and he are unloaded in another foreign airport where Ajatashatru's adventure begins as he tries to return to IKEA, make his purchase, and return home. 

To add to his problems, he is pursued by the irate taxi driver who first transported him from the Paris airport to IKEA and found his passenger had paid him with a fake 100 Euro bill. He is out for blood and will follow Ajatashatru wherever he must to get his money and revenge.

 

That's all you get from me. This all happens in the first few pages. If you are still with me, you are a great candidate for this book. Quirky, unexpected, delightful, sympathetic, and romantic escapades follow our hero each one of which he narrowly escapes by luck, the kindness of strangers, or his own wits.

 

Give it a shot. It's a very short book, a good afternoon of reading during the inclement December weather while you recover from the stress of the holidays and the world around you. It's a fun romp, complete escapism, and I loved it.

[If this book interests you, be sure to check out:]

 

Jonasson, Jonas. The 100-Year-Old Man Who Climbed Out the Window and Disappeared.

Another book with a lengthy title that traces the travels, people, and experiences of a curious man fed up with his life in a retirement home and decides to seek adventure in the outside world, elephants and all. (Previously reviewed here.)

 Happy reading.

Fred

[P.S. Click here to browse over 490 more book recommendations by subject or title and read the introduction to The First Sentence Reader.]

Every Picture Hides a Story

Cane, William and Gabrielle, Anna. Every Picture Hides a Story: The Secret Ways Artists Make Their Work More Seductive. London : Rowman & Littlefield 2023. Print.

First Sentences:

Each year 11 million people trek to the Louvre to gawk at the Mona Lisa. Many visitors clutch guidebooks in hand describing the painting. For some, it's the experience of a lifetime, one they'll talk about with friends and family for decades.

 

Yet modern researchers say that the vast majority of people will never recognize the hidden messages in this painting. That's because those hidden messages are subliminal.  

Description:

I picked up this unexpectedly wonderful art book because I wanted to learn more about Berthe Morisot, the woman painter featured in the hisgtorical novel, The Lost Masterpiece which I had just finished reading. She was considered the first female Impressionist artist, living in the 1870s and painting alongside Manet, Degas, Renoir, Cassatt, and other revolutionaries during their earliest days when their work were so radical, the artists were completely disdained and not shown at the famous Salon exhibition in Paris. I just wanted to view some of her paintings and understand more about her life.

 

First the book itself. It is printed on heavy, glossy pages which make the accompanying paintings for each artist appear as the highest quality. Each painting is crystal clear, allowing readers to see and easily understand the subliminal messages the artist portrayed in the piece. Details rendered so clearly help readers finally understand both the background and message behind the works.  

 

Second, the book covers a wide variety of artists, including short chapters on Da Vinci, Michelangelo, Raphael, Caravaggio, Vermeer, Eakins, Degas, Klimt along with those artists mentioned above. And, of course, there was a section on Berthe Morisot, her life and works, and her possible relationship with Edouard Manet, the focus of The Lost Masterpiece historical novel. 

 

Third, the book is addicting. While I started out only wanting info on Morisot, I could not resist poking into the works of other favorite artists, captivated by the glossy paintings and soon engrossed in reading about the backgrounds of the artists' lives along with details about their most famous works. The authors' research into each artist is thorough and yet succinctly written to captivate readers with fascinating details without forcing them to slog through more than five pages for any artist.

 

I learned:

• The Mona Lisa's smile is fascinating because Da Vinci used scientific optics to change a viewer's impression based on what part of the painting the viewer's eyes focused on and what is seen out only of the corner of their vision;

• Several contemporary art critics considered Berthe Morisot the finest of the Impressionist artists. She created nearly 400 paintings; 

• Marie Cassatt, in contract to her reputation as a painter of domestic scenes of families, mothers with children, and other domestic scenes, was a fierce advocate for women's rights, rejected the institution of marriage, and had no family or children of her own. "I am independent! I can live alone and I love to work";

• Van Gogh based his startling use of bold colors after researching a book that proposed there is a psychological process at work in which when the viewer's eye perceives adjacent colors, it intensify the other colors, such as putting red next to green. (Also, his ear-cutting episode was a result of Van Gogh's manic personality after he several times threatened to kill his roommate Gauguin with a razor;

• Sargent's masterpiece, Madame X, scandalized the female model and her family by depicting her gown's strap as having fallen off her shoulder. Sargent eventually repainted the strap to be on her shoulder, but the damage had been done. Unable to show or sell it, Sargant kept it for himself for years.

• Klimt's father was a gold engraver, giving the artist a familiarity with this glittery material which later became an integral part of his paintings, such as The Kiss.

History after history brings these artists, their paintings, and their world vividly to life for even art novices life me. I was captivated and therefore read all the artists' chapters, learning a wonderful amount of fascinating information about works I was familiar with as well as those I knew nothing about. The accompanying glossy reproductions of these paintings made clear all the points the authors referred to.

 

Whether you are an art connoisseur or just someone interested in creative people and the works that made them famous, this is definitely the book for you to skim, study the paintings, or read cover to cover as I did. You won't be sorry, and it will bring you great pleasure whenever you encounter one of these famous pieces or artists again. 

[If this book interests you, be sure to check out:]

 Shapiro, B.A. The Lost Masterpiece

Historical fiction about the life and masterpiece of Berthe Morisot, one of the original Impressionists, as well as the struggle for a modern day woman who inherits this masterpiece to hold onto it against pressures from others who claim it. (Previously reviewed here.)

 Happy reading.

Fred

[P.S. Click here to browse over 480 more book recommendations by subject or title and read the introduction to The First Sentence Reader.]

The Lost Masterpiece

Shapiro, B.A. The Lost Masterpiece. Chapel Hill, NJ : Algonquin Books 2025. Print.

First Sentences:

I hate spam. Well, obviously everyone hates spam, but I hate it with an admittedly unwarranted ferocity. When I see it, my blood pressure rises, my fingers curl inward, and my jaw throbs. A bit excessive, I know....Unwanted emails and phishing texts are bad enough, but when spam hits my voicemail, my nerves migrate to the outside of my skin and I'm ready to scream. 

Description:

When Tamara Rubin repeatedly receives multiple voice messages on her phone urgently asking her to call for important news, she naturally becomes enraged and deletes them. Finally she returns the call to berate the spammer, only to find out he is a legitimate person from a legitimate organization whose purpose is to recover artworks stolen by the Nazis and reunite them with their rightful owners.

 

Tamara learns she is the inheritor of a long lost masterpiece painting by Edouard Manet. The painting had been newly-recovered from a Nazi storage location. Further research showed it had been given by Manet to Tamara's great-great-great-great-great grandmother, Berthe Morisot, a fellow Impressionist painter who was rumored to have had a love affair with him.

 

So what does one do with an inherited masterpiece worth hundreds of millions of dollars? Of course, Tamara hangs it in her modest apartment to view its engrossing scene of a picnic in the park of ordinary people laughing, playing, embracing, and generally enjoying themselves. 

 

But there are problems. An unknown cousin descended from Manet, informs Tamara that actually he is the rightful owner of the painting and has Manet's will to prove it. Tamara hires a lawyer to fight this claim and cement her own right to the painting.

 

But is it safe hanging in her apartment, without insurance, guards, proper temperature and humidity, and a host of other complications? When her cousin offers staggering amount of money to purchase the painting outright from her to avoid legal battles, how can she refuse? 

 

But the painting speaks to her. She often feels she is part of the figures depicted in the painting, especially her grandmother who is a prominent figure in the work. She even imagines her grandmother winks at her from the painting.

 

Thus begins a dual narrative, one offered by Tamara living in the current age, and one narrated by Berthe herself from the 1800s. Berthe reveal her privileged life, her struggles as a female artist, and her fellow artists and family, some of whom encourage her work while others are shocked by her profession and subject matter. She also reveals her attraction to Edouard Manet which grows daily as she paints in his studio alongside Degas, Renoir, and others attempting to create a new form of art full of color, abstract figures, and unusual settings. They were mockingly referred to as "Impressionists," a name they gradually took on as a badge of pride, and thus started a new movement away from the staid art of the time.

 

This is historical fiction, meaning the characters in Berthe's era are real, as are many of the situations depicted. Beyond that, this is a story imagined by author Shapiro, one which seems perfectly reasonable as it engulfed me the people and era of France in the late 1800s.

 

I loved the story, the creation of the masterpiece painting contracted with Tamara's fight to protect the piece. It is a totally engrossing novel on so many levels, I highly recommend it for art lovers and just anyone who loves a fight for independence and a romance or two set 150 years apart. 

[If this book interests you, be sure to check out:]

 Cane, William and Gabrielle, Anna. Every Picture Hides a Story: The Secret Ways Artiss Make Their Work More Seductive.

Fascinating insider research on the background and hidden messages in the works of Berte Morisot as well as Michelangelo, Raphael, Vermeer, Manet, Degas, Cassatt, Kilmt, Van Gogh, Sargant, and many others,

 Happy reading.

Fred

[P.S. Click here to browse over 480 more book recommendations by subject or title and read the introduction to The First Sentence Reader.]

 

The Strange Case of Jane O

Walker, Karen Thompson. The Strange Case of Jane O. New York : Random House 2025. Print.

First Sentences:

Jane O. came to my office for the first time in the spring of that year. She was thirty-eight years old. Her medical history contained nothing unusual. This was her first visit, she said, to a psychiatrist....What I remember most about that first day is how lonely this woman seemed. I am not talking about ordinary loneliness. This was something else, a kind of loneliness of the soul.


Description:

Three days after that opening paragraph meeting, Dr. Byrd, the psychiatrist, received a call from the local emergency room. A woman had been found unconscious in a park by a maintenance worker who brought her to the ER. She had no wallet, no keys, no identification at all. She told the ER staff her name was Jane. She said her doctor's name was Dr. Byrd and thus he was contacted by the ER staff.

 

But strangely, this woman had no memory of anything that had happened to her in the previous 25-hour period of her life, nor how she arrived at the park where she had been found.

"The last thing I remember," she said, "is filling my teakettle with water." This was her habit, she said, to make a cup of tea right after dropping her infant son at his daycare.

She begins to see Dr. Byrd professionally to try to understand what caused her blackout and what had occurred in her life during those missing 25 hours. Turns out, she had already briefly met Dr. Byrd 20 years earlier, but she would not reveal to him why they had met. 

Through their new sessions, he learns she has hyperthymesia, a perfect memory that forgets nothing seen, heard, or experienced. He is astonished to learn she is able to recite the names of every book on his office shelves, the miscellaneous items on his desk, newspaper headlines, weather conditions...from their only session 20 years ago. 

Although her memory is faultless, she does relate to Dr. Byrd a few stories that he knows are untrue, such as Jane memory of discovering her upstairs neighbor dead in her apartment, seeing and talking with a man she knew was dead, or her fear about an unusual disease that was currently sweeping the country. Dr. Byrd had met her neighbor (in good health) and had no evidence that any disease currently in the world. Yet Jane swore these were true events she experienced.

[Jane thought] I guess I should consider whether [Dr. Byrd's] right, that my conviction that [my neighbor's death] is meaningless is evidence of its meaning. Once a mind begins to question itself, there is no bottom to its questioning. In one sense, I am conducting an investigation with a flawed instrument. 

With no medical abnormalities or injuries after being found in the park, Jane freely resumed to her life, her work as a librarian, and her sessions with Dr. Byrd. That is, until one day she misses her appointment with him. It is soon discovered that she and her son are missing, unable to be found anywhere.

What and who to believe? Jane is so sane, so calm. Yet she has seemingly told lies about her life and now is somewhere unknown, moving with an infant son and occasionally briefly caught on surveillance cameras in stores and restaurants in scattered places.

Gripping, puzzling, sympathetic, solid, and full of hidden secrets leading to unexplainable behaviors pulls readers along page after page. Narrated alternately by Jane and Dr. Byrd, we glimpse their inner thoughts and questions as we slowly unravel who they are and what causes their actions. 

And best of all, readers will not know the final outcome until the final sentences. What is better in a story that that? Highly recommended.

What might it mean for a life, [Dr. Byrd] wondered, if one's memories were never subject to alteration or decay, if one's most precious experiences glowed permanently in the mind, always intact, forever whole?....[But] a mind like Jane's would preserve not only the treasured memories but also the loathed ones. Every old joy would remain forever at hand -- but every sadness, too, every terror, every shame. 

[If this book interests you, be sure to check out:]

 Watson,S.J.. Before I Go to Sleep.

The narrator has a memory that lasts only one day, then forgets everything about herself and life by the next day. But she has doggedly determined that someone may be trying to kill her. So she must figure out a way to remember who is to be trusted and who to be suspicious of. (Previously reviewed here.)

 Happy reading.

 

Fred

Click here to browse over 480 more book recommendations by subject or title (and read the introduction to The First Sentence Reader).

Special Post: My Forever Books

My Forever Books. October, 2025. Print

 

First Sentences:

To build up a library is to create a life. It's never just a random collection of books. --Carlos María Domínguez, The House of Paper 

A [book] collection is a reflection of who we are and what we love. It is a testament to our passions and the things that bring us joy. -- Unknown author and source 

Collect with your heart, not just your eyes. Choose items that speak to you on a deeper level. --Unknown author and source 

Introduction:

I am in the process of giving away or donating most of my current library. Why? It's certainly not due to a lack of space as there is plenty of room on the shelves the cosy reading room in our house. It's not that I have grown tired of scanning over the titles of loved books from my reading past. That is a sight I will always enjoy. I do, however, still love getting books as presents as well as recommendations from friends and family. Maybe they'll will become part of my "Forever Books" collection (see below).

 

So why donate them? 

• I don't plan to re-read most of these soon-to-be-eliminated books, although they do give me pleasure to see them lined up on my bookshelves, reminding me of their stories, the worlds they opened to me, their language, and even the circumstances I came to possess them (gifts, funky second-hand bookshops, online used books sites, library sales, and sometimes actually even purchased brand new;

• I can easily acquire from a library any of those books I might possibly re-read;

• I had once thought I would loan/give my books to friends and family when they wanted a recommendation and I would be able to steer them to something great from my collection. Never happened. I was very rarely asked by someone to borrow one of my books, so that dream eventually faded;

• I felt there may be other people, unknown to me, who might enjoy discovering a new, offbeat book that caught their eye and then picked up at a library book sale, Goodwill, or Little Library box (and, of course, read its first sentences).

So I am gradually, sometimes reluctantly, donating books to my local library book sale, dropping them off at the nearby Volunteers of America resale shop, and placing them in Little Library boxes I walk by in my neighborhood. Safe travels and enjoy your new homes.

However:

 

There are some what I call "Forever Books" that will remain with me until I die, never ever to be given away, and only begrudgingly loaned (with blood-signed promises to return them). These will be placed proudly in full view on my bookshelves. 

 

Why keep these particular books?

• The plot, characters, writing, and setting of these specific books' remain fascinating to me even after multiple readings. These elements may be familiar to me, but somehow always seem new, like meeting up with a lifetime friend who continues to entertain, surprise, and confide in you;

• I plan to re-read and immerse myself into the worlds of these books until my eyes won't focus anymore, and then will tell my long-suffering care-giver to read them aloud to me;

• Just seeing the spines of these favorites continue to give me great pleasure and memories. They make me tingle in anticipation of the next opportunity when I will be able to immerse myself into their worlds and characters. Whether through their plots (which never get old and always provide new elements, as well as teach me something about the world, people, and myself); their writing (unique, clear, humorous, clever, wise, or all the above); the characters (brave, silly, noble, skilled, thoughtful, open, honest, self-deprecating, or just likeable); or the setting (challenging, gorgeous, natural, imaginative, violent, or serene), these volumes have a special place in my mind and heart.

 

My Forever Book Titles and Description:  

 (* = Click on these titles to read my reviews)

 

[Note: There will probably be a few more that I simply cannot part with, but here is today's list.] 

* 5 Simple Steps to Perfect Golf  - Count Yogi

My father's short, ragged book with simple, clear, solid instruction by and demonstrative photos of the flamboyant character, Count Yogi, a wonderful golfer who set many golf records on the Los Angeles courses, but refused to join the PGA circuit as he didn't want to get up for early tee times.

* Asimov's Guide to Shakespeare - Isaac Asimov

My go-to reference book for understanding any Shakespeare play. Probably the book I use most often, allowing me to best understand the language, nuances, history, humor, and unique writing of The Bard, especially to bone up on the piece before watching any performance 

* Asimov's Guide to Science - Isaac Asimov

Finally I have a book I can search to understand anything in the world, from the universe to Earth, to biology, the body, evolution, atoms, and so much more, written in highly-readable, clear, sentences for a layman like me. 

The Complete Short Stories of W. Somerset Maugham - W. Somerset Maugham

Two hefty volumes of the most remarkable, unpredictable, beautifully-written short stories ever, full of fascinatingly human characters and unique tales in Maugham's lovely prose. I've donated away this collection for years, but keep repurchasing used copies because these stories are always fresh, unpredictable, and wonderfully written, stories that will reach me no matter my mood. Guess I can't quit them.

* Cowboys Are My Weakness - Pam Houston

Short stories powerfully and sincerely written, narrated by courageous, outrageous women and their relationships with questionable men in the gorgeous settings of remote towns in the back country of the Western mountains.

The First and Last Freedom - J Krishnamurti

Given to me by a close friend, this unique book of philosophical questions in dialogue form are continually grounding and deeply thoughtful, always forcing me to challenge any easy answer to life and relationship, and search for the truth amidst the reality of living. 

A Gift from the Sea - Anne Morrow Lindbergh 

Crystal clear, quiet thoughts and exquisitely delicate writing on various aspects of love and relationships using sea shells as her metaphors.

* The Golf Omnibus - P.G. Wodehouse 

My absolute favorite, book for cheering me up or just offering escapist fun through a world of goofy characters doing outrageous activities in the stiff-upper-lip language and manner on the golf course.  

The Hobbit - J.R.R. Tolkien

A book I have loved for years, re-reading it for my own pleasure and to our son from an early age, as well as to young tennis players in India while traveling on long-distant train rides. My copy was a special edition given to me by our son, so I will never part with it and will continue to read it alone and maybe even with a future grandchild.

* The Housekeeper and the Professor -  Yoko Ogawa

There is something about the story of an aging mathematics professor with a memory of only 80 minutes and his humble housekeeper and her son that compels me to re-visit their quiet, challenging world over and over to reclaim their individual struggles and peaceful co-existence.

* Housekeeping - Marilynne Robinson

A strange, compelling tale of a wandering transient aunt who is unwillingly given the responsibility to settle down and raise two young girls in a bitter cold environment. Always captivating, unexpected, challenging, and loving.

 The Importance of Living - Lin Yutang

Another book introduced to my by a close friend on the value of noticing small things, not taking everything seriously, enjoying the humor of everyday life, loafing, appreciating details of home, nature, travel, culture, and the art of thinking. Challenging, humorous, and thoughtful on every topic.

 * In a Sunburned Country - Bill Bryson

Who knew a travel account about Australia could be so outrageously funny? Always something new in this book to learn about this interesting country, always something funny to make me laugh out loud every time I read it.

Infinite Jest - David Foster Wallace

I will probably never read even a small portion of this book. But it was given to me by dear friends when I had Stage 4 cancer, along with the note that said they had confidence I would live long enough to read this tome. That meant a lot to me and I will never forget their confidence in me regaining my life and health, as symbolized by this book. 

* Kayaks Down the Nile - John Goddard

This author was a life-long adventurer who at age 15 compiled a list of 127 actions he wanted to accomplish before he died. One of these was paddling from source to mouth of the Nile. My sister gave me this book because Goddard used to come to our high school twice a year to show slides from his latest death-defying exploration. He therefore has a deeply-embedded place in my heart both for his fascinating narrations and for getting the entire school out of class for his semi-annual assemblies. 

Keeko - Charles Thorson

This children's book by the extremely talented illustrator of Bugs Bunny cartoons was the first book in my life I remember, with its lush pictures I drooled over long before I could read. A wonderful story of a young Indian boy trying to find an eagle feather.

Life of Pi - Yann Martel

I just love everything about this book's plot, writing, characters, and setting. Seems to offer me something new and changes my opinions with each re-reading, the marks of a great book

* The Lord of the Rings  - J.R.R. Tolkien

Simply the best epic story ever. These volumes were given to me by a close friend which we read aloud several times, and which later I read to our son. He later carried his own thick volume version to his elementary school class as he read it for himself. Unmatched in every aspect of a great novel.

* The Man Who Mistook His Wife For a Hat - Oliver Sacks

Can never get enough of this volume of very human, unique, fascinating accounts of people with unusual behaviors caused by previously undiagnosed brain disorders 

* Manners from Heaven - Quentin Crisp

Simply a wonderfully witty, barbed, sarcastic, and insightful view of the world, why humans should be well-mannered (not just following stiff rules of etiquette), and how to achieve this highly agreeable personality.

* The Martian - Andy Weir

I simply never get tired of the ingenious bravery of the main character and the setting of his lonely world. Wonderfully concise, precise, funny writing as well. Any books that opens with the first words "I'm pretty much f**ked" promises to be a wild ride ... and delivers on every page.

* The Martian Chronicles - Ray Bradbury

These timeless stories about the exploration of Mars, along with the nature of man's ingenuity, emotions, greed, love, and dreams in a unique setting show a mirror of the face of humanity and consequently never grow old for me. 

Moment in Peking - Lin Yu-Tang

Introduced to this book by a man I admired, this sprawling novel is a powerful, yet intimate introduction for me into the world of pre-Mao China, the lives of wealthy and poor people, and the culture of that era. 

 * Never Cry Wolf  - Farley Mowat

Another book that always makes me laugh at the misadventures of the narrator and the natural world he finds himself in, forever confused by his misconceptions about wolves and men. 

* The Piano Shop on the Left Bank - Thad Carhart

Just a delightful memoir about piano restoration in a hidden store, where the author learns about pianos, their history, their tones, and their personalities, as well as the men who bring them back to life. 

* Plainsong - Ivan Doig

My wife introduced me to this gentle, thoughtful book which I return to often when despairing of the lack of kindness of humans towards each other. This book never fails to restore my faith that there are gentle, quiet people out there doing good for the benefit of their fellow humans. 

A River Runs Through It - Norman MacLean

A beautifully-written memoir about a family fishing, and living life in the backwoods of Montana. It never fails to inspire a warm glow about nature, nor evokes such sadness at the foibles of human nature. 

Roughing It - Mark Twain

A book that continues to make me laugh while learning about the untamed West through the eyes of a young "secretary" (Twain) who has free rein to explore and describe whatever catches his fancy, whether odd people, unusual sights, or wild adventures.  

* Shakespeare Saved My Life - Laura Bates

Memoir of a teacher who entered a prison's solitary confinement cell block and, by pushing books, questions, and notes through the men's food slots, leads discussions of the Bard's writings among prisoners sentenced to years of solitary confinement. These men, through lively conversations, eventually re-wrote some of Shakespeare's plays to better express the criminal's point of view behind the action, and then had other prisoners perform these revised versions, performances the solitary prisoners could never attend. Inspiring.

* Tennis for Life - Peter Burwash

The absolute best, simplest tennis instruction book written by the former pro and president of the tennis management company I worked for which changed my life. This company sent me to teach these techniques from this book at tennis facilities on Oahu, Maui, Kauai, Chennai (India), and The Woodlands (Houston), Texas where I met my beautiful wife.

* To Serve Them All My Days - R.F. Delderfield

A shell-shocked WWI soldier is hired by a boys' school to teach for the first time and by this experience, hopefully achieve some recovery and encourage his re-entrance into the world. Warm, funny, insightful, and always full of characters I would love to meet. 

* Total Immersion - Terry MacLaughlin

My reference book on how to swim efficiently. I return to it often to improve my stroke and understand the body's relationship to the water to swim more "fish-like" and efficiently. 

* We Took to the Woods - Louise Rich 

A wonderful memoir of life in the isolated woods of Maine by a woman who, in each chapter, answers the most common questions she received about living alone in the woods. Inspiring, funny, clear-sighted, and beautifully written. Always a book for me to bring calm to a frantic world.

* The Whistling Season - Ivan Doig

Small Western town novel about a widower and his sons who hire a housekeeper (who can't cook) to organize their home and life. She and her brother who joins her are whirlwinds of new ideas, strong personalities, and challenges to the widower, his family, and the community. Always new, unexpected, and delightful. A book I recommend to more people than all the other books I have ever read. 

* Why We Swim  - Bonnie Tsui

Inspiring essays on the history and wonders of swimming that continue to remind me of why people are fascinated by and thus lured to enjoy the water. 

So there you have my list. I might have a change of heart over some other books of mine before I donate them, but for now these are the books that continue to inspire and entertain me. Each book makes me wish I were a better, funnier, braver, more thoughtful, or admirable person, or at least a better writer. And I wish I were reading each one for the first time again.

Hope you find something here to interest you. Please me know your own "Forever Books." Just reply to this email. I'd be very interested to read about your choices and your reasons behind each selection

 

Happy reading.

Fred

Click here to browse over 480 more book recommendations by subject or title (and read the introduction to The First Sentence Reader).