Magic Words: 101 Ways to talk Your Way through Life’s Challenges by Howard Kaminsky and Alexandra Penny

Magic Words is a collection of phrases and mantras that one can say to oneself (or to others) as a way of communicating more effectively.  This easy-to-read book of modern folk wisdom is divided into parts: magic words to say to yourself, to others, and those for universal applications.  Each key phrase is accompanied by 1-3 pages of vignettes illustrating its possible uses.  For instance, “KMS” reminds one to “keep mouth shut” when dealing with an argumentaive person or when asked an opinion about a sensitive situation; “it’s thimble time” reminds the reader to protect himself from small barbs or annoyances the way a thimble protects against pin pricks.  “Don’t forget, you’re not in a phone booth” can remind a cell-phone abuser to be courteous; and “Are you really yelling at me?” can help to defuse an abusive supervisor.

This book is an entertaining and effective guide to help the reader meet some of life’s challenges in a polite and graceful manner.  Most readers are sure to find some “magic words” that will prove helpful and perhaps even life changing.

A similar title by Kaminsky is Magic Words at Work: Powerful Phrases to Help You Conquer the Working World.

The Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern

Combining elements of magic, romance, tragedy, and whimsy, Erin Morgenstern’s debut novel The Night Circus tells the story of two doomed young lovers, Celia and Marco, forced into a deadly competition on board a traveling circus. Selected and trained from a young age, both are used as puppets to boost the egos of two men: Celia’s father, a well-known magician, and a mysterious man in a gray suit. Neither Celia nor Marco is informed of the rules of the game, only that they are to use the circus as a vehicle to prove their superiority (and therefore their mentor’s superiority) with magic and illusions. But along the way they begin to fall in love; first with the magic the other creates, then with each other. Surrounded by a cast of eccentric characters and elaborate settings, Morgenstern creates a world of fantasy that is both dark and dreamlike.

Set at the end of the 19^th century, The Night Circus begins in 1871 – the same year that P.T. Barnum established his first traveling circus, which was then described as a “museum of freaks.” It is also the same time period as the Second Industrial Revolution, which brought many “fantastical” inventions to the world, such as the Edison’s phonograph and light bulb. These scientific discoveries and would appear as magic to many, and it’s interesting to compare these real innovations to the magical illusions created by Celia and Marco in the circus as their audience would view them.

Everything Matters! by Ron Currie

I have a Death books list.  It’s not as macabre as it sounds.  It’s a collection of books, some about the mechanics of death (How We Die by Sherwin Nuland), some about what dead bodies can reveal (Dead Men Do Tell Tales by William Maples), some about people’s ideas of what happens after death (Sum: Forty Tales from the Afterlives by David Eagleman), some about people’s fears of death (Nothing to be Frightened of by Julian Barnes), and various novels either authored by Death (Book Thief by Marcus Zusak) or with Death as a primary preoccupation (How the Dead Live by Will Self).  It’s a strange, eclectic list, I admit, and the criteria for being added to the list is hard to explain, but I know a Death book when I read it, and Everything Matters! is definitely on the list. 

The premise of the book is that Junior Thibodeau, while in the womb, receives the disquieting revelation that the world will be destroyed by a comet when he is 36 years old.  He forgets about it, of course, until at the age of three when he happens to watch a television program about the prophecies of Nostradamus and sees enacted before his toddler eyes a comet destroying the earth.  This results in a seizure and Junior is never carefree again, because although he recalls his in utero revelation about the destruction of earth, he forgets the most important part–the instruction from the Voice that will reveal things to him his whole life– “First, enjoy this time.” 

The book goes on to alternate Junior’s story with that of members of his family, his girlfriend, and the Voice, who maintains a countdown, and it’s quite a ride. Currie is by turns funny, weird and heartbreaking.  Junior’s gifted and talented class witnesses the Challenger disaster on television in a chapter that vividly recalls the heartbreak of that episode. Another incident references the Oklahoma building bombing.  And midway through the story there’s a masterful one-sided therapy session with Rodney, Junior’s brother.  Throughout it all, Junior wrestles with the primary conundrum of our lives—does life have any meaning if it all ends in death—brought into stark relief by his foreknowledge of the end of the world.  

It’s a good book.  Not perfect, but a perfect example of wabi sabi, the Japanese worldview that finds beauty in imperfection and impermanence.

Slow Gardening: A No-Stress Philosophy for All Senses and Seasons by Felder Rushing

Rarely do you open a gardening book and in the first two chapters find quotes from William Wordsworth, Soren Kierkegaard, Francis Bacon, Frank Zappa, and a picture of Mr. Potato Head.  In fact I have never opened a gardening book and found quotes from any of these individuals.  Yes, this is a different type of gardening book.

There are those expected sections on proper watering, correct fertilization, and pests, but these are a very, very small part of this book.  What this book is about is the garden being your space, not your neighbor’s, or a space defined by a gardening book.  The author speaks to creating a garden that you will enjoy.  If you like pink plastic flamingos, then you should include pink plastic flamingos in your landscape.  There are many tips and suggestions to help with planning, planting and maintaining your garden.  Slow Gardening should not be interpreted to be easy gardening, but it is what you put into it to get more enjoyment out of the experience.  As you read this book, enjoy the many sidebars with quotes, trivia, and inspiration for creating a great garden space.

Down to a Soundless Sea by Thomas Steinbeck

The Outlaw Album by Daniel Woodrell

I love short stories.  In addition to the enjoyment of a well crafted story, in one book I get a variety of different stories, a taste of an author’s writing, and a lack of guilt if I choose not to finish the whole collection!   But I particularly love them when reading opportunities are scattershot as when traveling, or now during the busy holiday season.  Two very different, but excellent collections I actually did finish because they were so good,  are these two.   One similarity they do have is a strong sense of place and time, along with wonderful writing. 

The stories in Down to a Soundless Sea by Thomas Steinbeck  take place at the turn of the century on the Monterey Peninsula in California.  The collection is inspired by the storytelling and oral tradition he experienced as a boy with his father, John, and his friends.   Each story tells a part of this early history and vivid details of life  through characters such as seamen, ranchers, prospectors, and immigrants attempting to prosper and survive the beautiful, dangerous and rugged landscape.  The author has captured so well the feeling of being told a good story in front of a crackling fireplace. 

By contrast, the stories in The Outlaw Album by Daniel Woodrell (Winter’s Bone) take place in the Missouri Ozarks in more contemporary times.  The stories are haunting, harsh, and sometimes violent, involving charaters on the outskirts of society.  Many are in desperate situations which they seek to rectify by their own code of justice.   Yet despite this, the beautiful and spare prose of the author creates an unexpected dignity for each tale and character.  Once again, this author captivated me, and I will pretty much read anything he writes from now on.

The Christmas Train  by David Baldacci

Reporter Tom Langdon is taking the train from Washington D.C. to Los Angeles and he plans to write a story about the trip.  He will spend Christmas with his girlfriend Leila, skiing at Lake Tahoe. Yet, Tom does not love Leila; he still carries a torch for Eleanor Carter, a woman he spent several happy years with until she abrubtly ended it.  He never understood what happened and he did not try to contact her again.

Then , who should be on the train other than Eleanor herself!  The two former lovers are shocked to see each other, but Eleanor immediately expresses the resentment she displayed at their parting.  Could their relationship have a second chance?

Join the colorful group of travelers: movie celebrities, a loveable Catholic priest, and other unique eccentrics.  The action includes a wedding, a string of robberies, music, and just enough magic for any day of the year.  All aboard!

Founding Gardeners: The Revolutionary Generation, Nature, and the Shaping of the American Nation by Andrea Wulf

This book focuses on the gardens and estates of our first four presidents, Washington, Adams, Jefferson and Madison.

While all of these men had farms, they also had extensive gardens, which enhanced the beauty of their homes.   George Washington’s Mount Vernon,  John Adams’ Peacefield, Thomas Jefferson’s Monticello, and James Madison’s Montpelier all have extensive plantings of trees and shrubs that exist to this day.   The author discusses how their tie to nature influenced their politics and formed their views in founding a new country.

I have visited three of these estates, and I found the book fascinating to put the view from the 1700s in the context of what remains of those gardens and estates today.  For those that enjoy history and gardening, this is a nice blend of the two.

Confidence Men: Wall Street, Washington, and the Education of a President by Ron Suskind

Robert Wolf, chairman and chief operating officer of UBS America, was an early supporter of Barack Obama. In July, 2007 Wolf began to feel that something was amiss on Wall Street and thought that perhaps the conventional wisdom was wrong and a panic lay ahead in the market for mortgage securities. Wolf warned Obama and explained to him how this event could come to pass. Obama quickly grasped the concepts involved. So in September, 2008 when Wall Street began to tumble, Obama was not unprepared. Obama’s audition for the role of president in crisis was near flawless, and after a grueling campaign season he won the prize in November.

The president-elect was facing the worst economic crisis in a generation he needed a seasoned team to help him navigate the storm. According to Suskind it was in the choosing of his team that things began to go wrong. Timothy Geithner, head of the New York Fed, became Secretary of the Treasury. Suskind provides devastating examples of Geithner protecting Wall Street interests. Larry Summers, chosen to head the Economic Advisory Council, is shown to be a master manipulator, instructing staffers not to carry out the President’s instructions. Lastly, Rahm Emanuel, a fellow Chicagoan, was tapped as chief of staff. Emanuel was focused on the politically possible which led him to manage and sometimes directly contradict the president.

Suskind’s basic premise is that Obama, who lacked managerial experience and had a White House staff with no process for turning presidential decisions into policy and action, was badly served by these three people. Confidence Men is a sharply drawn, meticulously researched account of the first two years of the Obama presidency. Whatever your political views, this book offers an important look at the tumultuous political and economic aftermath of the Wall Street meltdown.

Thunder Dog: The True Story of a Blind Man, His Guide Dog and The Triumph of Trust at Ground Zero  by Michael Hingson with Susy Flory

When Michael Hingson went to work at his job on the 78th floor of  Tower I of  the World Trade Center on 9/11/2001 he, like many others, had no idea of what would be happening.  This book tells the story of how his guide dog, Roselle,  helped him to walk all the way down with many other workers, not knowing what had caused an explosion in their tower.  At the same time we learn about  Michael’s life and  how he has succeeded in so many different ways.

This book helps the reader learn so much about the world of  the blind.