Craving an escape to the mountains and just love the title of this book at my bedside that profiles some of the most intricate yet hidden camps of the Adirondacks. An "Elegant Wilderness," indeed.
The Most Excellent Beach Read
It's been a while since I've read a book worthy of isolating myself into pure literary bliss. For Christmas, my Mother gifted me with Z: A Novel of Zelda Fitzgerald. The book is a novelization primarily focused on Zelda Fitzgerald, the beautiful, zany southern dreamer who falls in love with an aspiring literary king, otherwise known as F. Scott Fitzgerald. As the book illustrates in such a brilliant fashion, the pair fall madly in love, dancing around the world on new quests to fulfill Scott's literary inspirations in the height of the jazz age. From their blossoming young romance to trials in addiction and aspiration, this book is truly the most excellent (beach) read. Purchase via Amazon, here.
Young At Heart
My Grandmother loved reading - absolutely loved it. I have vivid memories of her reading to me (usually fairytales and poetry), and as a result, the hand-written letters she would write to me from time to time, were quite poetic and tender. I think I've inherited her knack for loving words, although I don't find myself having the time to immerse myself in books as of late, I still make time to put pen to paper and write to others, or even to myself. I still cherish the letter my Grandmother wrote to me just days before she passed away. It's stained with tears from my emotional reflections and folded in four equal parts, from being tucked away in one bureau to the next. On holidays, she would often gift me with a new book with a sentimental note, always inscribed in the front cover explaining why it was important that I read such text, or why it reminded her of me. Perhaps this is why I love giving books as gifts to this day...
I was so delighted to find the release of the large-scale fairy tale books from Hans Christian Andersen and the Brothers Grimm. I think these would make spectacular gifts for anyone who grew up with these magical children's stories. Purchase here.
Frothy Fiction
After I finish my current read for book club, I plan on getting my hands on The Vacationers. NPR dubbed it as a "frothy beach read" and Preston Davis gave it the thumbs up, so you know it's a good pick.