Springing Forward
Reflections on Spring, Commonplace Books and Recent Reads
Spring Reading Reflections
This spring and this season of life, I am searching for beauty. The winter months in Virginia can look bleak and this stretches well into March. The grass remains brown, the trees bare, and then finally, the flowers begin to bloom. My eyes feast on patches of daffodils, narcissus and forsythia, our first signs of the coming spring. But it is not just in nature that I find myself searching for beauty. It is in my reading as well. Discouraged by a number of so-so books, I began Rembrandt Is In The Wind by Russ Ramsey, a book that weaves stories of famous artists showing how truth and beauty intersect with faith. I also listened to Enchanted April (review below). I spent a day recently at the National Gallery. As the voices around me - in our culture and on social media clang loudly and push me to see things one way or another, I find myself retreating into beauty, into nature, into art, and into books.
Struggling to find your next great book? Here are some questions to ask to help find your next read, courtesy of book maven, Ann Bogel:
Commonplace Books
Have you heard of, or do you keep a commonplace book? A commonplace book is a journal, notebook, or even a set of notecards where you can record quotes, book passages, song lyrics, and poems together in a central place. A place where things can be gathered together; anything that resonates with you can be collected. Think of it as a written form of scrapbooking,
Commonplace books have existed for over a milenia. Roman Emperor Marcus Aurelius kept one throughout his life and it served as the foundation for Meditations. Thomas Jefferson’s hand written commonplace books are in the Library of Congress. In the Victorian era, women used commonplace books as a way of educating themselves independently when their schooling was restricted. This video from the Huntington Library illustrates how beautiful a commonplace book can be.
Why Keep a Commonplace Book:
Document what inspires you. If you are a writer, it is useful for remembering quotes, inspirations, or ideas. “Pay attention to what you pay attention to.”1
Like a photo album, it is fun and illuminating to look back over ideas and writing that you have enjoyed. You see connections from different things and find themes in your life.
Commonplace books are not journals. You don’t have to hide them from others. They are beautiful form of posterity and can be passed onto future generations in your family to provide insights into what you found important and recordable.
The How To:
Read widely, listen carefully, observe the world.
Mark what sticks out to you. Use book darts, highlighters, or write in the marginalia of your books. Consider keeping a notebook with you to jot down things during outings and travel.
Transfer quotes, ideas, and thoughts to a blank journal, use notecards (and keep them filed according to topic), or record them in a digital document.
April Bookish Links
Interested in audio books? Check here to see the winners of the 2023 Audi Awards. I continue to hear such great things about Finding Me by Viola Davis and the audio version just won Audion Book of the Year!
Though I did not read Women Talking, I can’t say enough about how thought provoking the movie adaptation was. I highly recommend it even though parts are really difficult to watch. Based on a true story, it examines how a group of Menonite women may have reacted after finding out they had been sexually violated over an extended period of time by men in their own community.
I am so excited to hear Maggie O’Farrel’s book Hamnet is being made into a film directed by Chloe Zhao. But before the film comes out, a theater adaptation is being performed by The Royal Shakespere Company in London this fall. I would love to see this!!
April 29th is Independent Bookstore Day! Bookstores all around the country celebrate with special author visits and activities. Click this link to find an independent bookstore near you. My friend and author Jeanne Godfrey will be at my local bookstore. I also want to point you to Jeanne’s website where she discusses her writing process and encourages other writers to follow their dreams.
Recent Reads
I listened to this on a whim while looking for something gentle to escape into. Published over 100 years ago, The Enchanted April is a charming story about four women, who rent a small villa together in Portofino, Italy for the month of April. Each desires to escape their lives back in London and relocating to this isolated villa has a restorative effect on each of them. The prose is well crafted and the conversations are quippy and humorous. The author describes the trees and flowers in such detail, I felt the transported to the Italian coast. I found myself smiling and giggling through much of the story. There is really nothing to dislike about this book. I have seen a lot of lists suggesting spring reads, but I find it hard to believe there is a better option than this. I also came across this sweet Mother Daughter Book Club discussing The Enchanted April. [Published: 1922, Pages: 192]
I recently devoured a really fun mystery — The Golden Spoon. The story is set during the filming of Bake Week, a hugely popular cooking show hosted by one of America’s favorite bakers. And yes, if this sounds like the Great British Bake Off, it should. The author does a terrific job of introducing each of the contestants and I could easily visualize the setting (since I have watched all the GBBO seasons). It does not come off as cheesy or copy-cat; I really felt like I was behind the scenes in one of my favorite TV shows. Once the characters and competition has been set up for the reader, hijinx and murder ensue. There are multiple storylines that are woven together and the author does a pretty good job with the mystery. I will say though, my favorite part of the book was the set-up. If you enjoy baking and GBBO, this book is a fun read. [Published: 3/23, Pages: 287]
The Bullet That Missed is the third in a highly entertaining British series involving residents of Coopers Chase retirement village, including a former MI-5 agent. They meet each Thursday in the puzzle room to investigate murder. Sometimes a past crime and sometimes more recent. The characters are all charming and likable and the mysteries are thoughtfully constructed and entertaining. This is a reliable series for me where the people are entertaining, the prose is witty, and the story is well constructed and not neccessarily predictable. [Published: 9/22, Pages: 352]
Alert: Unpopular opinion ahead! One book that continues to stay atop the NYT bestseller list is Lessons in Chemistry. This debut novel released over a year ago and has sold over a million copies (which is almost unprecedented for a debut). Set in California during the 1950’s and 60’s, this is the story of Elizabeth Zott, a brilliant scientist that is hampered at every turn by closed-minded and dangerous men. Though written in a fast-paced style that kept me involved in the story, this is not a book for me. Described often as “delightful,” “funny,” and “charming,” I often found it jarring and sad. I just could not reconcile the glib tone of the prose with the dark events that happen to Zott. It reminded me a bit of Where’d You Go, Bernadette, but without the humor and likeability. There is also a strong anti-faith current running through the book and a “tying up” of loose ends that seamed too neat. It just shows how not every book is for everyone. [Published: 4/22, Pages: 422]
Amy Krouse Rosthenthal
Shayne, I completely agree with your feelings about Lessons in Chemistry. I listened to it on a long car ride from Arizona to California and only finished because I didn’t have something else to listen to.
Love the bit about commonplace books. I don’t keep one exactly, but my Apple Notes serves as one. I keep quotes, notes, links, and pretty much everything in there.