Chapter 23 - The Beginning After the End

When I worked in corporate Human Resources, one of the many trainings I took and taught was Change Management. Change is a constant in our human experience and as there is no escaping it, we can only learn to ride the wave. In the time since I started writing this blog I have gone from owning a bookstore to being retired, from having a three dog household to no dogs, from having a husband who frequently traveled for work to having him working from home. I don't know that I have dealt well with all the change (especially the no dog one) but my constant joy has been in books. Books have given me quiet space, kept me entertained, and have swallowed stress. Writing this blog has also kept me a little sane over the years as I've shared my thoughts on books and life with you.

In Change Management instruction you learn that in order to accept change you have to celebrate the old while moving forward to the new. This is often hard as we consider what has been lost in transitioning from the old. Sometimes we lose our sense of competency as we move from one job to the other. Other times we lose the way things used to be - I definitely felt that after selling the store. We can lose a sense of structure, schedule, and purpose with any changes we experience.

I was reminded of this today when our oldest daughter, Carina, and I were talking. She is a teacher,(there seems to be a trend in my family towards this career), and she was telling me about how hard a transition it is to go from the school year to summer for teachers. I personally would think that it would be an easy move to have your freedom finally from the daily work of teaching. As we spoke though I could really see her points. Many of the "to do's" that are required are left to the summer like major house repairs or modifications, there is no specific schedule, and you lose the emotional and social support of your work friends. Worse of all is the guilty feeling you have if you take time for yourself knowing that so many other things have to be done. Carina indicated that she has a huge TBR pile that she can't even think about starting on because she has all these other tasks to do. My suggestion to her was to set her own schedule and to make sure she carved out time for a 4:00 to 5:00 PM Happy Hour just to read - no phone, no social media, nothing but a glass of her favorite drink and reading. Put it in your daily schedule, I said, because it will make you a happier person.

So, just in case you need to be reminded - set aside time for reading, even if it is just an hour. Here are some suggestions for book that might take you away for a little while.

Blonde Dust by Tatiana de Rosnay - This is the latest by the author of, among others, Sarah's Key. This is the story of a young woman who ends up cleaning Marilyn Monroe's hotel room when Monroe was in Nevada filming The Misfits. It is a story of friendship and how one's life can change dramatically. It is also a story of a different side of Marilyn from the one the public knew.

Never Thought I'd End Up Here by Ann Liang - At her cousin's wedding, Leah Zhang has wished the bride a depressing marriage and poor health by mistake as she has forgotten most of her Mandarin. Staging an intervention, her parents send her on a trip across China to see China's most wonderful cities. On the trip she is a young man who has embarrassed her in her previous meeting with him. Is now the time for revenge? While this is described as a young adult book, it's rom-com execution is every bit as good as any adult rom-com writer today.

The Lamplighter's Bookshop by Sophie Austin - A forgotten bookshop in York, an advertisement for an assistant, a woman with secrets to hide, what more could you ask for in a summer historical fiction? Of course, the bookshop owner has secrets of his own. This book has been described as The Last Bookshop meets The Lost Apothecary.

Before Dorothy by Hazel Gaynor - If you are a fan of The Wizard of Oz series but have ever wondered about the backstory of Auntie Em and Uncle Henry, this is the book for you. In 1924 Chicago, newlyweds Emily and Henry decide to leave and resettle in Kansas. Emily's biggest regret is leaving her sister Annie who has always been her best friend. When tragedy strikes years later and Emily and Henry take on their niece, Dorothy, it is the first of challenging events for the couple. Hazel Gaynor is an accomplished author who brings this prequel to life.

I am going offline for a few weeks, I'll catch up with you when I get back.

Until then,

Happy Reading!