Rewind

Finished November 30

The Rewind by Allison Winn Scotch

I somehow missed reviewing this book back when I read it last year, however I thoroughly enjoyed the read. This is a story that slips through time. The two main characters, Frankie and Ezra were college sweethearts, but had a bad breakup at the end of their years at college. Ten years later, they've agreed to join their old friends back at campus for a reunion and New Year's Eve bash to celebrate the new millennium. Frankie is a manager for musicians, including some of the hottest bands and lives a busy, active life constantly on the go. Ezra went on to law school after graduation but has taken his life in a different direction and is on the verge of proposing to his girlfriend Mimi.

As the book opens, they wake up together in a dorm bed wearing wedding rings and have no memory of how they got there. We know something happened back in 1989 to cause a sudden breakup, and we know that something happened the night before this uncomfortable awakening. As the couple tries to remember what happened, and retraces their steps from the night before, we also get to see into the past and into the secrets they've kept from each other from the beginning.

This is a story of two people who were crazy in love at a time in their life where they didn't know where they wanted to be. There were secrets that created a communication issue between them. There were assumptions made without talking things out. There were lots of emotions. 

This is a story with nuance and humour. One that is hopeful and where the characters come alive as their stories get revealed. A great read.

Here

Finished June 13
Here by Richard McGuire

This book is about a space. The space is often a room in a house, a living room, but sometimes we see what it was before it was a house, or before white settlers came, or before man was there at all, or we see it after it wasn't a house anymore, 

We see the interactions of people, of nature, of animals. We see the similarities across time, and the differences. It is a house for more than a hundred years and in that time we see many people who lived in it, visited it, expressed their emotions, relaxed, fought, celebrated and grieved. 

The drawing show sometimes just one time period, sometimes more on the same page. When more are shown, we often see themes, nuances of meaning and more obvious themes across time, with similar conversations or actions. 

Here is one example of a double page image in the book so you get an idea of the content.

There is a great review at Harper's.

I loved it. and wanted to spend more time going back and forth, looking more closely at each image, finding the depth of meaning contained in it. 

Thoughtful Read

Finished January 22
The Gift by Cecelia Ahern
This book, taking place at Christmas and the days just before it, is a fable that emphasizes what is important in life. When Lou Suffern, an ambitious executive, with his eye on a possible promotion, sees a homeless man on his way into work, he is inexplicably motivated to give him his coffee. Talking with the man, he is intrigued and arranges to give him a job in the company's mailroom. But when the man, Gabe, keeps appearing unexpectedly in Lou's life, Lou begins to wonder what Gabe is angling for and how he seems to be in two places at once.
Lou is struggling to manage his work and personal life and both seem to be slipping out of his grasp. Gabe helps him identify what his true priorities are and gives him the gift of time to fix things in his life while that is still within his power to achieve.
An easy read, but it does get you thinking about what is important in your own life.