December Reading Part - 2

 Wild Mind by Natalie Goldberg

A book of essays on writing with a number of "Try this" exercises. The first half of the book had the most practical information for me and the exercises in that section were, and are, fun. I'll be working at them for a few weeks.   

The Nightshift Before Christmas by Adam Kay

A few pages into this I didn't think I'd like it, but the author, who was a Doctor in England at the time, is such a compassionate human being, and so funny, it's hard not to like him and his writing. These are stories from his five years of working through the Christmas holidays, the interesting cases and crazy situations he found himself in. He worked mostly in genecology so the stories get...let's say colourful... but he has a heart for those truly suffering and that is beautiful to see. He's also an entertaining writer, good with unexpected metaphors and similes that made me laugh out loud. There is some vulgar language to get past, but if that's not a deal breaker for you - it almost was for me but his humour appealed to me and kept me reading - you'll probably enjoy this.

Old Tyme Christmas in New Brunswick by David Goss

I found this one at the library, but it wasn't quite what I expected. I was hoping for stories, instead it was largely photographs from nineteenth and early twentieth century Christmas celebrations, mostly in the Saint John area. The captions were interesting though.

Hat Girl by Wanda Campbell

A girl inherits a small home on an island in the Bay of Fundy, on the condition that she wear the previous owner's hats which will be delivered to her at the beginning of each month. Some of the hats are quite dramatic making her stand out in the crowd and earning her the name "Hat Girl". 

I liked this one particularly because it's set in my corner of the world so I recognized the island she lived on and lots of other place names. I love islands and stories set on them, and feel the same way about the sea as the girl in the book: "The sea gave you a sense of what eternity might look like, a thing that glistened with light and went on and on. The largeness of it seemed able to fill up the smallness in a person. Hemingway's old man said the sea is kind and very beautiful, but that she could also be cruel. I knew this blue sea in summer was only one side, but for now I was content with this gorgeous generosity." Those lines reached a place in me that longs for the sea and filled it up, for a while anyway.   

It's a charming story with an unusual premise, though I guess when you get right down to it you'd have to call it a romance. I have nothing against romance, as long as there's more to the story than that, and this one had enough in it to make it a pleasant escape.   

Zanna's Gift by Orson Scott Card

A brief audio book - 2 hours or so - about a little girl, Zanna, whose older brother, Ernie, is the only one in the family who can tell what her drawings are about. Everyone else sees only the simplistic scribbling of a four year old child. When Ernie dies suddenly the family tells Zanna he has gone far away, but Zanna creates another drawing for him anyway. Zanna later becomes a well-known artist, but it's that childhood picture that becomes a touchstone for the family through the years as Zanna grows up, gets married and has children and grandchildren of her own. A story of family ties and memories that is touching but not very Christmassy.

The Romance of a Christmas Card by Kate Douglas Wiggin 

A 1916 story about a Pastor's wife who creates and mails out her own Christmas cards, her efforts resulting in the homecoming of two young men and their reconciliation with their families. It's all a bit too perfect; still it's a nice, cozy, Christmas story for seasonal reading.