After what feels like the longest illness ever, I think I am finally on the road to recovery. I’m still dealing with some lingering congestion and sneezing, but I am definitely feeling better. As a result, I managed to put my nose into a few books this week and got two finishes for my efforts.
What I Finished This Week
One Plus One by Jojo Moyes. Once again, Jojo Moyes hit me right in the feels with another excellent novel. Yes, this book was about bullies and self-doubt. It was also about misunderstandings and forgiveness. It was a beautiful look at a dysfunctional family wrapped up in a charming romance. It was everything that I should have hated in a novel that left me much richer for sharing a little time with these powerfully drawn, deeply flawed characters.
No Book Beginners: A Step-By-Step Framework for Creative Piano Teaching by Tim Topham. I’m a little ashamed to admit that this book has taken me several months to complete. It wasn’t because the writing was challenging or that I found the discussion uninteresting. Truthfully, the book is a very fast read. What slowed me down was the fact that I really needed to wrestle with the basic argument and decide where I stood on it. Here’s the basic idea: if we really want to teach young pianists effectively, don’t rush into introducing them to the challenge of reading the notes of the page. Instead, focus on the other elements of music — melody, harmony, rhythm, and sound. Let the students become so engrossed in the music itself and develop a natural curiosity about it. Then (and only then) begin to explore the language of reading music. It’s not how I was trained, so everything in me rebels against the idea. Yet, I have to admit that there is something in the argument that causes me to pause and consider. Topham presents a 10-week framework for these beginning lessons that prepare the student for reading. Am I ready to jump in completely? Not yet….but it has definitely given me something to think about. That’s what we ask from the non-fiction that we invest our time and energy into reading.
What I’m Currently Reading
JFK Jr.: An Intimate Oral Biography by Liz McNeil and RoseMarie Terenzio (1:46 of 14:54 listening time). Normally, a 15 hour audiobook would turn me off, but this one caught my eye. I had started listening to Talking to Strangers by Malcolm Gladwell on Wednesday, but the topic was much darker than what I had originally anticipated. That’s when I saw this biography on John F. Kennedy, Jr. I have always been fascinated with the man and watched along with the rest of the nation when his plane went down. Honestly, I had planned to listen to a little bit of this book to close out the week and begin with something a little shorter next week. But then I realized this wouldn’t be like other biographies. McNeil and Terenzio have gathered recollections from those closest to the Kennedys to tell the story of John-John from their various perspectives. The result is a story that I cannot get enough of. The recollections of John’s famous salute to his father’s passing casket and his early interactions with other men after his father’s death are spellbinding. While this won’t be a quick read, I am in for the long haul now.
Owning Jacob by Simon Beckett (p. 40 of 343). On Sunday afternoon, I was browsing the Kindle library for a new read. I didn’t want anything too literary. I did want something that would keep my attention from the start because I hope to continue making significant progress in my personal reading as the year draws to a close. This thriller has all the elements I was looking for. The novel opens with the death of Sarah who has left behind her husband Ben and his 6-year-old stepson, Jacob. While sorting through his wife’s possessions, Ben stumbles upon a lockbox that contains Jacob’s birth certificate and newspaper clippings about a child that was taken from the hospital nursery. As Ben continues to investigate, he realizes that Jacob shares the same birthday as the child that was taken! Was Jacob actually Sarah’s son? Or has he unknowingly been part of something far more sinister? As the truth begins to emerge, Ben is now faced with the question of what he should do — reunite his autistic son with his birth parents or continue as though nothing has changed? This novel is absolutely riveting. Since the truth has been revealed so early in the story, I’m anxious to see where Beckett’s storytelling is going to take us next.
Reading for Me 