Recent Good Reads

1. Hotel on the Corner of Bitter and Sweet by Jamie Ford. So sweet. Set during WWII in Seattle and follows a Chinese boy and Japanese girl from when they meet in 6th grade until they meet again when they are gray.  Deals with the Japanese internment camps in the U.S. during this time.  Many of the women in my book club did not even know about the camps, and we all agreed that none of us who did know ever heard about in school--even college.  Raises great questions, but also just sweet.



2. Nurture Shock by Po Bronson and Ashley Merryman.  More food for thought with parenting and teaching. These journalists look at scientific research on learning and behavior in children and write about it in a splashy way that a lay person can understand.  Now whether the lay person can remember all the details is another story, but... I do remember sleep is super important! This would be a good book to read with someone else and discuss as you go. There is so much in it that it needs to be talked about to be remembered.  I'll write more about it eventually.



3. American Modern by Thomas O'Brien.  A gorgeous coffee table book by the designer who does high-brow decorating as well as, shall we say, accessible decorating (Target).  I especially loved that he started the book with a look at his Manhattan apartment when he first moved in, and then he ended the book with the same apartment today.  He still lives there, but he lives in it differently than he originally did. I also loved that all of his interiors were a beautiful blend of antique and contemporary pieces. The reason I splurged and got this book is because it was our anniversary (8 years), AND we put a contract on a house. The house we have under contract is contemporary (as in 1980 contemporary), which is a far cry from our previous 1960s ranches with their cottage-y feel. I was needing some inspiration to match the huge windows and sculptural trees outside. This book is lovely, and it did inspire.