Quarterly Literary Box

About a month ago, I received a special discounted offer through NetGalley to try Quarterly's fall literary box. Quarterly is a box subscription service that offers curated boxes based on a variety of interests; such as cooking, crafting, and genre literature. Truly, there is a box for everyone. They reached out to me with this offer, because their Fall Literary box was curated by first time novelist, Brit Bennett. I had shown an interest in reviewing Bennett's novel, The Mothers, which has been receiving rave reviews. Although I did not get approved for an advanced copy of Bennett's novel, this offer was enticing enough to make me jump on the opportunity.

I fell in love with my Quarterly box, before even opening it up. Look at the packing tape: adorable.

I opened the mailing box, to find a smaller box, with another cool sticker. It was wrapped up like a present.

And then I opened my box to discover my literary loot nestled in ribbons of packing cardboard.

Here is a welcome letter from Brit Bennett.

The edition of The Mothers, from Quarterly, is annotated by Bennett, adding both limited edition value and giving readers a deeper insight to the story.

Also included in this box curated by Bennett: Jane Austen themed tea, Toni Morrison's, Sula, Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie's, We Should All Be Feminists, a window cling, and a mug with a quote from, The Mothers. I love the quote on the mug - " All good secrets have a taste before you tell them." Isn't that the truth?

Was the box a success? I'm excited to read Bennett's novel and love that it's annotated. I groaned at adding yet another mug to my colossal collection ( doesn't everyone have an abundance of mugs?), but I've been using it daily, and the quote is wonderful. I still need to try the tea. I read Sula in college, but it has been many years, and Morrison's work is always worth a repeat. I'm not familiar with Adichie, so I'm happy to have it recommended to me. I have no idea why the window cling was included, but I'm guessing that I will discover the connection when I read, The Mothers.

Will I try Quarterly again? Absolutely. My to-be-read pile is overflowing and I need more books like I need a hole in the head, but if the next box is curated by an author that catches my interest, I'm subscribing.

Book Review - Fredrik Backman's And Every Morning the Way Home Gets Longer and Longer

Thank You to Atria Books for providing me with an advanced copy of Fredrik Backman's novella, And Every Morning the Way Home Gets Longer and Longer, in exchange for an honest review.

PLOT - As Grandpa lies in a hospital room dying from Alzheimer's, his mind floats to a park bench, where he has important conversations with his son, grandson, and long-dead wife.

LIKE- I love Fredrik Backman for his heartfelt stories and beautifully written pose. He has a keen sense of empathy that shines through in his character development and observations. Reading Backman's stories is cathartic.

Having been through tremendous loss, including caregiving for my grandfather, who had Alzheimers, And Every Morning the Way Home Gets Longer and Longer, was a punch to the gut. I finished the story feeling shattered, but in the best possible sense, as I was moved by the art of Backman's writing.

The saddest part, was the character of Grandpa, who has so much that he wants to say as his time is running out. The most heartbreaking revelation, is with his son, Ted, with whom he never quite felt a deep connection. Rather than connecting with his son, Grandpa connects with his grandson, Noah, who is Ted's child. Even though the reasons for the differences in connecting are valid, it's nonetheless, regretful and something that Grandpa feels a heavy burden. This serves as a reminder to fix regrets, rather than lugging them through life like a boulder.

DISLIKE- Way too short! And Every Morning the Way Home Gets Longer and Longer is labeled as a novella, but I think that's a stretch. It's a short story. I finished it in thirty minutes, which was excellent, as it is a story that should be read in a single sitting, however, novella; it is not.

RECOMMEND- Absolutely. And Every Morning the Way Home Gets Longer and Longer, is a must for Backman Fans ( if you haven't read Backman,go to the bookstore now!), but it's also an excellent story for anyone who has experienced loss or who is a caregiver. This is a compassionate and affecting story about the dying process.

Book Review- Alexander McCall Smith's Precious and Grace

Recently, I had the pleasure of meeting Alexander McCall Smith at Powell's Books in Beaverton, Oregon. Smith is one of my favorite authors, and I was absolutely thrilled to meet the creator of Mma Ramotswe and Mma Makutsi.

My husband took this picture of the crowd waiting to hear Smith speak. I'm somewhere in here.

Smith spoke for approximately thirty minute and left about thirty minutes for an audience Q & A. One of the more interesting things that he spoke about, was the television adaptation of the No. 1 Ladies Detective Agency. He was asked if Jill Scott was what he imagined for Mma Ramotswe. He he had nothing but positive things to say about Scott and the rest of the cast, but he also mentioned that he never pictures what his characters look like when he writes them. He pictures what they wear, their voice, their personality, but not so much physical features, and that he rarely describes his character's physical details. This was an "ah-ha" moment for me. I'm not at all comparing myself to the amazing Smith, but I also rarely visualize my characters and I thought this was something failing in my imagination. I felt this sense of relief to hear Smith speak on this subject. Smith gave a very entertaining and humor filled talk and caught everyone up on his most current projects. I marvel at his ability to be so prolific and with so many different series. I'm also happy to report that he does not envision The No. 1 Ladies Detective Agency series ending any time soon. Or any of his other series for that matter.

After he spoke, I got in line to have my book signed. I also bought a copy for my mother-in-law for Christmas, as she is also a fan. He wrote "Happy Christmas" to her and said that I'd get daughter-in-law brownie points!

On to the book...

PLOT- In this seventeenth installment of The No. 1 Ladies Detective Agency series, titled Precious and Grace, Smith works with themes of forgiveness. The agency has to solve the mystery of a Canadian woman, returning to Botswana to find a nanny who babysat her as a child. They only have a few memories and a less than stellar photograph to work with. They also must resolve the issue of Mr. Polopetsi, who has unwittingly become involved in a pyramid scheme. And can Grace live up to her name and overcome the fact that her arch-enemy, Violet Sephotho, has been shortlisted for a "Woman of the Year" award? All of this and Precious must find a home for an injured dog that has come into her care.

LIKE- As with every book in this series, I look forward to spending time with Precious, Grace, and all of the other characters. I don't read many book series, but the charm in them, is growing to deeply care about the reoccurring characters. The characters that Smith has created, feel like old friends.

In Precious and Grace, Smith brings up the important topic of forgiveness. I think that most readers will identify with one or more of the characters, especially without how they react to the topic of forgiveness. The worst in this dilemma is Grace, who has a tough time trying to be gracious towards Violet, who has truly been a horrible person to her on more than one occasion. Smith writes a wonderful section on the importance of a hand shake, even if that person is someone you dislike. It's important to show respect. I read this the same night as the third presidential debate in America, in which Clinton and Trump did not shake hands. I wish the world had a little more of Smith wisdom in action.

DISLIKE- I love the story, but the one thing that is getting stale, now that we are in the seventeenth volume, is the rehashing of previous events and explaining the main characters. Unfortunately, this takes up a lot of space in the story and it's tedious this far into the series. It makes it so Precious and Grace, could be read independent of the series, but it's frustrating as a long time fan.

RECOMMEND- A fan of the series? Precious and Grace is a must-read. Smith continues to prove that he is an excellent storyteller.