Book Shelf
Renewal, rejuvenation, gardening, hiking and baseball. Sure sounds like spring, doesn’t it? Here are book suggestions that suit the season, provided by Carol Tuttle, collection services librarian for the Willoughby-Eastlake Public Library.
“Spring Fever” by Mary Kay Andrews
Love, deception and second chances are wrapped in this plot-twisting novel set in the Deep South. Advertising executive Annajane Hudgens finds that leaving her rural North Carolina hometown and traveling to Atlanta for a new job and a promising life is complicated. This is an enjoyable escape for spring.
“Room with a View” by E.M. Forster
In this classic book (that became a movie) sheltered Englishwoman Lucy Honeychurch and her older cousin, Miss Bartlett, tour Italy in the springtime. Lucy meets interesting characters who call into question her dull, repressed Edwardian life. Spring, Tuscany and enlightenment all in one luscious novel.
“How It All Began” by Penelope Lively
In this novel of new beginnings, one random event (the mugging of the very independent 77-year-old Charlotte) cascades into multiple outcomes: marriages disrupted, lovers united and lives changed. This is Penelope Lively at her best in an ingenious and absorbing story about human nature.
“Shoeless Joe” by W.P. Kinsella
Mysterious words inspire the construction of a cornfield baseball diamond. This classic novel, the basis for the film “Field of Dreams,” speaks a story about fathers and sons, family, and our cherished American pastime. Written in lovely prose, it evokes the nostalgia of family life and features a lovable hero.
“One Shot at Forever: A Small town, an Unlikely Coach, and a Magical Baseball Season” by Chris Ballard
Sportswriter Chris Ballard captures an Illinois high school baseball team’s improbable run at the state finals as poor farm boys from a small, rural town take on the privileged kids in this true-story account. Inspirational writing speaks to the importance of high school sports and hometown heroes, demonstrating how much one game can change a life.
“What Stands in a Storm: Three Days in the Worst Superstorm to Hit the South’s Tornado Alley” by Kim Cross
April 27, 2011, marked the climax of a superstorm that saw a record 358 tornadoes rip through 21 states in just over three days. Journalistic reporting and heartbreaking personal stories combine to give an eye-opening account of the deadly and destructive event.
