One of the few advantages of recovering from surgery with your arm in a sling is that you get time for reading. You can’t drive. Or cook. Or do laundry. And one can only sleep so much. Even TV gets old after a while.
Reading and Recuperating
You don’t go much of anywhere because you’re in pain and moving around with that sling is cumbersome. It feels like carrying a small dog around everywhere.
Going out to dinner gets awkward if your dominant arm is in the sling and you’re trying to eat with the other one. Food has been known to end up on the floor. I could sell tickets to watching me chase Cheerios around a bowl with a spoon in my left hand.
But books work. A book kept me sane the one night in the hospital when I shared a room with a woman who snored like a lumberjack, had sleep apnea, and talked in her sleep. I sat up almost all night reading.
So, what books kept me company in the five weeks of my convalescence so far?
The Books I Read
The Lincoln Highway by Amor Towles
“In June, 1954, eighteen-year-old Emmett Watson is driven home to Nebraska by the warden of the work farm where he has just served a year for involuntary manslaughter. His mother long gone, his father recently deceased, and the family farm foreclosed upon by the bank, Emmett’s intention is to pick up his eight-year-old brother and head west where they can start their lives anew. But when the warden drives away, Emmett discovers that two friends from the work farm have hidden themselves in the trunk of the warden’s car. Together, they have hatched an altogether different plan for Emmett’s future.”
Having read and thoroughly enjoyed “A Gentleman in Moscow,” a book in which the protagonist goes absolutely nowhere, I found “the Lincoln Highway” to be an excellent opposite perspective. When I picked it up, I expected to find a story of the road. I was right but not in the way I had anticipated.
At first, having this image in my mind, I found the shift in plot annoying. I considered setting the novel down. But I persisted and I’m glad that I did. “The Lincoln Highway” is thoroughly engrossing from beginning to end. Highly recommended.
The Latecomer by Jean Hanff Korelitz
“Triplets, conceived via IVF into a wealthy New York Jewish family, who never grow out of hating each other. A father’s secret, held closely for generations, that permanently poisons the family well. A mother who dives into empty-nest desperation with a too-late-in-life baby, delivered via gestational carrier.”
And that’s just the basics.
I didn’t think I would like this book either because, really, not one of the characters is very likable, and most are not even close to empathetic. Because it was my book club’s November selection, however, I forged on — and became completely enamored of the whole story. This is the book that got me through a night in the hospital with a snoring roommate. Highly recommended.
Someone Else’s Shoes by JoJo Moyes
A “story of mix-ups, mess-ups and making the most of second chances,” it asks the question, “Who are you when you are forced to walk in someone else’s shoes?” Two women from different socio-economic backgrounds accidentally exchange gym bags and their lives become entangled in ways neither could have anticipated.
“Nisha Cantor lives the globetrotting life of the seriously wealthy, until her husband announces a divorce and cuts her off. Nisha is determined to hang onto her glamorous life. But in the meantime, she must scramble to cope–she doesn’t even have the shoes she was, until a moment ago, standing in. That’s because Sam Kemp – in the bleakest point of her life – has accidentally taken Nisha’s gym bag.”
I turn to Jojo Moyes as one of the authors who consistently delivers a well-told tale and “Someone Else’s Shoes” didn’t disappoint. Highly recommended.
Maid by Stephanie Land
“At 28, Stephanie Land’s plans of breaking free from the roots of her hometown in the Pacific Northwest to chase her dreams of attending a university and becoming a writer, were cut short when a summer fling turned into an unexpected pregnancy. She turned to housekeeping to make ends meet, and with a tenacious grip on her dream to provide her daughter the very best life possible, Stephanie worked days and took classes online to earn a college degree and began to write relentlessly.”
I had seen the Netflix series based on this book and didn’t think I needed to read it all over again. Again, however, it was my book club’s December selection, so I decided to read a few pages just to refresh my memory. As before, I ended up reading the whole thing.
I wish every member of the U.S. Congress could be forced to read it just so they could understand the obstacles put in the way of a single mother who is trying to climb out of poverty. Also, I wish it were compulsory reading for every teenage girl, just so they could see what single motherhood is really like. Recommended.
The Books I Haven’t Finished Reading
Now that doesn’t seem like that many books to keep me occupied for five weeks. But “The Lincoln Highway” comes in at 576 pages and “The Latecomer” is not a fast read. And then there were all those naps. I did start three other books, however, that I’m currently working through.
Tuesday Mooney Talks to Ghosts by Kate Racculia
“Tuesday Mooney is a loner. She keeps to herself, begrudgingly socializes, and spends much of her time watching old Twin Peaks and X-Files DVDs. But when Vincent Pryce, Boston’s most eccentric billionaire, dies—leaving behind an epic treasure hunt through the city, with clues inspired by his hero, Edgar Allan Poe—Tuesday’s adventure finally begins.”
I picked this up because it involves a scavenger hunt through Boston for a millionaire’s hidden prize. And it does deliver that. But I haven’t found the novel all that engrossing—as evidenced by the fact it’s sitting on a credenza while I read the book below.
Also, if you’re going to write about Boston and reel me in, you had better do your research. I have found two historical inaccuracies. ‘Nuff said.
Starling House by Alix Harrow
“A broke young woman takes a job as a cleaner at the creepiest house in town. Carefully unpacking the institutionalized power dynamics of class and race, Harrow untangles the many mysteries of Starling House, revealing how powerful people and groups will twist the truth until the story suits their purposes. A spooky story about how hidden truths always come back to haunt you.”
This is another marvelous fantasy novel by Alix Harrow, who wrote “The Ten Thousand Doors of January.” This one, set in Kentucky, is not quite as lyrical or as charming—and much darker. But I’m enjoying it nevertheless.
Mrs. Jack by Louise Hall Tharp
I began reading this biography of Isabella Stewart Gardner back in the fall when I began leading tours to her eponymous museum. She called it Fenway Court, Bostonians call it The Gardner, and museum staff call it The Palace.
While I’m not allowed to lead tours in the building itself, I narrate the trip there from the cruise ship terminal and answer questions on the way back again. So, I needed to bone up on “Belle’s” story. Ms. Tharp’s biography which is well written and very readable, provides the information I need to do that.
I will follow this up with a new biography due out in March and then, closer to the tour season, with “The Lioness of Boston,” a novel about Mrs. Gardner by Emily Franklin. When I’m finished with those three, I’ll be able to give a lecture on her life.
If you are not quite ready for all that reading, even about a fascinating woman, you can listen to this interview with Ms. Franklin on HubHistory.
Winter Reading is Here
So that’s where I stand with reading now. I don’t use the sling much anymore and I’m a lot more mobile. Also a lot more comfortable. I just got the OK to start driving again and I’m looking forward to being independent again.
Because it’s winter, though, I should have more time for reading until spring arrives with more demands on my time. I wonder how many books I can go through until then.