Before Cell Phones, But After Dinosaurs

    I love having goals! My book goal for 2023:

💯📚

 

    Dinners with Ruth: A Memoir of the Power of Friendship by Nina Totenberg was a book gem. For about fifteen years, I didn't have a television, and besides reading, I would listen to the radio. So I remember hearing the voice of Nina Totenberg on NPR. But, of course, this was also before cell phones and podcasts, you know, when dinosaurs roamed the earth. 

    The book is 50% about Ruth Bader Ginsberg and 50% about Nina Totenberg's life. It was eye-opening to hear about life as a reporter in the 1950s and onward. She does talk about the early days of NPR and the coterie of women that supported and encouraged one another. Ruth Bader Ginsberg is one of my heroes--smart, feisty, and persistent--what's not to like? Totenberg has a well-developed talent for storytelling and many fascinating stories to tell, like breaking the Anita Hill story and the story of her father's stolen violin. 

📱🦖🦕🦖📱

    The No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency by Alexander McCall Smith is a lovely, captivating book. It takes place in Africa in the country of Botswana. The protagonist is Mma Ramotswe. Her father has died, and she takes her inheritance and buys a house, and starts a business--a detective agency. I have been reading this series since the early 2000s, and McCall's characters evolve for better and worse, but the Mma Ramotswe continues to solve mysteries large and small. She celebrates being a "traditionally built lady" and African. I read a review that described the book as a love letter to Africa. I must mention that the book about Precious Ramotswe, an African woman, is written by a white man who lives in Scotland but was born in Africa and has also lived many years in Botswana. In a time of debate about who gets to tell the story of others, Smith's own love of Africa shines out. He has a comprehensive knowledge of the food and culture. When I read this series, I can almost smell the dessert. 

🌍🌍🌍

The Vanderbeekers of 141st Street by Karina Yan Glaser is a book in the same category as All of a Kind Family and The Penderwicks. It centers on family and children solving big problems. Even though it is a children's book, it is a well-told story with satisfying, exciting characters. A family with two parents, five children, a dog, a cat, and a rabbit have lived in a brownstone in Harlem, New York, most of their lives, but their mysterious top-floor landlord has refused to renew their lease. So December 31st will be their last day in their beloved home unless they can convince "The Biederman" to let them stay. How will they do it? You can probably guess where the story goes, but Glaser takes a circuitous, charming route to get there. This is a series, and I'm planning on reading them all.

🗽🗽🗽🗽🗽