All The Beauty in the World by Patrick Bringley (nonfiction) which gave me an appreciation for art and how to look at it. It was a delicious read with made me want to back to New York and explore The Met for several days. 5star read.
"Millions of people climb the grand marble staircase to visit the Metropolitan Museum of Art every year. But only a select few have unrestricted access to every nook and cranny. They’re the guards who roam unobtrusively in dark blue suits, keeping a watchful eye on the two million square foot treasure house. Caught up in his glamorous fledgling career at The New Yorker, Patrick Bringley never thought he’d be one of them. Then his older brother was diagnosed with fatal cancer and he found himself needing to escape the mundane clamor of daily life. So he quit The New Yorker and sought solace in the most beautiful place he knew.
To his surprise and the reader’s delight, this temporary refuge becomes Bringley’s home away from home for a decade. We follow him as he guards delicate treasures from Egypt to Rome, strolls the labyrinths beneath the galleries, wears out nine pairs of company shoes, and marvels at the beautiful works in his care. Bringley enters the museum as a ghost, silent and almost invisible, but soon finds his voice and his tribe: the artworks and their creators and the lively subculture of museum guards—a gorgeous mosaic of artists, musicians, blue-collar stalwarts, immigrants, cutups, and dreamers. As his bonds with his colleagues and the art grow, he comes to understand how fortunate he is to be walled off in this little world, and how much it resembles the best aspects of the larger world to which he gradually, gratefully returns."
Things You Save in a Fire by Katherine Center which was about a female firefighter who goes from having it all to a fire department who doesn't want a woman because they think females are not capable of doing the job. She has to prove herself all the while taking care of her dying mother, and also falls in love with another rookie who is only there to prove to his family he's man enough. Then has to fight to clear her name after being branded a hoe, because she was raped when she was 16. She had to learn to forgive herself, her family, and her bosses. The characters were really immature for their ages which made the story just okay. Sadly a 3 star read. It was good but....
“Cassie Hanwell was born for emergencies. As one of the only female firefighters in her Texas firehouse, she’s seen her fair share of them, and she’s excellent at dealing with other people’s tragedies. But when her estranged and ailing mother asks her to uproot her life and move to Boston, it’s an emergency of a kind Cassie never anticipated.
The tough, old-school Boston firehouse is as different from Cassie’s old job as it could possibly be. Hazing, a lack of funding, and poor facilities mean that the firemen aren’t exactly thrilled to have a “lady” on the crew, even one as competent and smart as Cassie. Except for the handsome rookie, who doesn’t seem to mind having Cassie around. But she can’t think about that. Because she doesn’t fall in love. And because of the advice her old captain gave her: don’t date firefighters. Cassie can feel her resolve slipping…but will she jeopardize her place in a career where she’s worked so hard to be taken seriously?”
Orbital by Samantha Harvey, although slim at 207, after the first few chapters, turned into drudgery to read. From Orbit 1 to Orbit 16 in a 24 hour day, it revolves and revolves around the people on the station, the countries passed over again and again. Very repetitious with a few elegant sentences describing nature, the cosmos, the state of the world, and politics. 2 Star Failed to live up to my expectations.
Non fiction story Fighting Monks and Burning Mountains by Paul Barach which was disappointing. Barach decided to walk the ancient 750 Mile Shikoku pilgrimage trail in Japan without knowing any of the language so could hardly communicate and wasn’t in a good shape as he thought. I kept waiting for it to get better, for him to learn something, but unfortunately he didn't. Except for the kindness of strangers, I don't think he would have survived. 3 Stars
I'm Afraid You've Got Dragons by Peter S. Beagle which was a delightful story about a man who is a dragon slayer but also loves dragons so saves the little ones and houses them with his family. There are so many nuances to this story I enjoyed. The Prince, the princess, the dragon slayer all becoming friends, learning life over duty, love over musts. 4 stars
