They say a picture is worth 1,000 words. I hope this will suffice for my blog post today. Our family has a date with Carson Wentz!
GO BIRDS!
Trivial Pursuits
Pop quiz: What is the name of the actress who starred in Your Show of Shows and had a memorable supporting role in the movie Vacation?
It was the end of the school year, and my favorite history teacher, Mr. Crane, decided to occupy his ninth-grade class with a trivia game. Knowing we had no more bandwidth for lessons on western civilization, he divided us into two teams and asked his first question.
Little did he know, I was a ringer when it came to trivia. My parents kept several editions of Uncle John’s Bathroom Reader in our powder room. This book contained all kinds of trivia and short essays about random things like the origins of Silly Putty. It was so easy to read and addicting that I even read it outside the bathroom walls. (FYI: I was kind of a nerd back then).
In addition to help from Uncle John, my knack for trivia came from our family watching classic 50’s TV shows and Jeopardy. We watched Jeopardy religiously. Alex Trebek was a god in my house. When one of the science teachers at school prepared to be a Jeopardy contestant, he enlisted our family as part of the training. He became a 5-time champion and even gave us a shoutout on national TV. That was cool.
Back in history class, I was ready for this moment.
IMOGENE COCA! I yelled out to the class. Mr. Crane looked at me in shock and then gave me a huge grin.
“Very good, Elisa,” he said.
Mr. Crane passed away last month. He had a unique way of connecting with his students and making them feel important. He had a booming voice and a gentle soul. Upon hearing the news, I thought of this moment in time. He was an amazing teacher, and he will be missed.
The One With All The Books
Did you ever notice that the articles toting the “best books of the year” feature the same ten titles? Is it like the Academy Awards where authors campaign for a coveted spot on everyone’s top 10 list? Also, isn’t it nice just to be nominated?
Honestly, I can’t get enough of these lists. Willpower has never been my strong suit, and social media is too tempting. The weaning process is seriously an exercise in futility.
Why? Because I suffer from a severe case of FOMO for books that may have slipped off my radar. And to feed my unapologetic book-buying habit, I added some new titles to my already large TBR pile. I consider it my reward for reading so much in 2019. (Justification, anyone?)
I’m happy to share some book recommendations with you, but I am not going to provide links to Amazon or other massive book-selling websites. If you like any of these books, I implore you to pay a visit to your local independent bookstore. Exploring these fantastic places is quickly becoming a passion of mine. Between the atmosphere, the coffee and the little treasures, I find lots of things to spend my hard-earned money, and I’m happy to do it at a fellow bookworm’s place of business.
Here are three books that made my list:
The Mother-In-Law by Sally Hepworth – If you are looking for an excellent read for your next book club, look no further. This fun and easy-to-read murder mystery brought about lots of stories and conversations when it came time to discuss.
She Said by Jodi Kantor and Megan Twohey – If you are a journalism junkie, like me, you will love learning about the investigative reporting these two ladies embarked upon to shine a light on the stories that ended the career of movie producer, Harvey Weinstein.
Fifty Things that Aren’t My Fault by Cathy Guisewite – I enjoy books that fall into the creative nonfiction genre. They help me observe life in a way that I notice the little details, emotions and often humor behind these slice-of-life stories. You may recognize this author’s name if you were ever a fan of the Cathy comic strip in the ’80s and ’90s. She is just as witty as ever.
So, what are you reading that I should add to my TBR pile?