the invisible wall

Two books in two weeks, unusual for me. This week I read "The Invisible Wall" by Harry Bernstein. And I loved it. There were a few (but not many) editorial errors that would normally bother me but the storytelling was so wonderful that they were easy to overlook. 

It's a book about Harry's childhood as a young Jewish boy living in England before (and during) WW1. On one side of his road lived the Jews and the other, the Christians. Mostly divided by the "invisible wall" that ran down the middle of their cobblestone street, the families from both sides did come together on occasion. The unthinkable happened when Harry's sister fell in love with a Christian boy from across the street. 

I plan on reading his next book, "The Dream."

the memory keepers daughter

Yesterday I finished reading "The Memory Keeper's Daughter" by Kim Edwards. I liked it! I picked it up on a whim while walking through Target a few weeks ago. I had never heard of the book or, I guess, the movie made from it. A lot of people said it's sad and it is. But it didn't depress me (a good thing!). It's reflective. It's though provoking. And while it's true there has been no dramatic one moment of my life that by itself defined every moment to come after, as there was for David, it made me stop to consider how things add up over time.

I loved the use of photography as a subject in the book but that probably isn't much of a surprise because it isn't exactly a secret that I love photography. She illustrates the way I feel about pictures very well and I wonder if my motivation isn't something like David's. If I don't somehow want to create a moment, a perfect moment. I want to stop time. I want to just hold on a little longer.

A good book. Even my husband has now picked up the book and started reading.

the scarlet letter

A sad story, but not unbearably so. I liked it.

I purchased a copy of The Scarlet Letter (the same one I just read, even) towards the end of the summer before my senior year of high school. I read a few chapters. Within a week of school starting, my English teacher assigned us to read the same book. At that point I put it down and did not pick it up again until a few weeks ago. (Well to read, anyway. Technically I picked it up each time we moved. I always had the intention of reading it ... someday.) Sometimes I wonder what on earth I was thinking back then.

*edit to add*
I feel I should mention that there is one small part at the end of the book that I wished had been different. It tugs at my heart a little, though considering also that it is a novel, not a whole lot. Other than that, I very much enjoyed it.

but look, it has my name in it

While at my sister's house recently she showed me some books she had rescued from a box at Mom's house that was destined for the thrift store. The memories and warm fuzzies came flooding back.


Among those books was one titled "The Berenstain Bears and the Missing Dinosaur Bone." I remembered enjoying the mystery of the story very much. Brother and Sister peaking in the window. Wondering if the bone would be found on time. It was great.

My sister Jennifer turned to the front
of the book to show me her favorite part:

Wasn't I nice? Poor Jenny.