On my recent birthday trip, I had zoomed past the beach turn-off, and slamming on the brakes, took a quick turn into the next place. Guess what? I had come upon a little bookstore, Titcombs Bookshop in Sandwich, MA. Of course I had to delay the beach for books!
Inside, the tiny shop was full of people browsing. I was delighted to see so many people getting books for their beach jaunts.
I try to buy something from every independent bookstore I visit, so this time I picked up The Quotable Book Lover, edited by Ben Jacobs and Helene Hjalmarsson.
I opened it at random and found the perfect quotation to share with you today. It’s so true for me, it made me laugh out loud.
“There are two motives for reading a book: one, that you enjoy it; the other, that you can boast about it.” Bertrand Russell, The Conquest of Happiness, 1930
Recent reads (all novels this time) I’ll boast about:
Where’d You Go, Bernadette by Maria Semple – Weirdo or genius? I am sure many of us will relate to Bernadette in this book.
My Wish List by Gregoire Delacourt – A short, sweet and deep book about how winning the lottery could change everything, but not how you imagine.
Loving Frank – Nancy Horan – a great historical novel about Frank Lloyd Wright and the love of his life, Mamah Borthwick.
The Art of Hearing Heartbeats by Jan-Philipp Sendker – A sweet and lyrical novel set in Burma.
Current fiction reads include:
Americanah by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie
Lovers at the Chameleon Club by Francine Prose
What books are in your beach bag? Boast away in a comment below.