Tag: Reading

Another Short but Sweet Epistolary Book #FridayFunReads #Nonfiction #Inspiration

A photo of Abbie smiling in front of a white background. Her brown hair is cut short and frames her face. She is wearing a bright red shirt and a dark, flowy scarf swirled with hues of purple, pinks and blues.

84 Charing Cross Road

By Helene Hanff

 

What Amazon Says

 

Those who have read The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society, a novel comprised of only letters between the characters, will see how much that best-seller owes 84, Charing Cross Road.” — Medium.com

A heartwarming love story about people who love books for readers who love books

This funny, poignant, classic love story unfolds through a series of letters between Helene Hanff, a freelance writer living in New York City, and a used-book dealer in London at 84, Charing Cross Road. Through the years, though never meeting and separated both geographically and culturally, they share a charming, sentimental friendship based on their common love for books. Discover the relationship that has touched the hearts of thousands of readers around the world, and was the basis for a film starring Anthony Hopkins and Anne Bancroft.

 

Buy from Amazon.

 

My Thoughts

 

As you may know, last week, I read Love and Saffron and reviewed it here. According to its book blurb, Love and Saffron is written in the style of 84 Charing Cross Road. So, I decided to check out this book, and it didn’t disappoint me, either. It’s not long, but it’s a sweet story.

I enjoyed reading Helene Hanff’s correspondences with not just the manager but his wife and some employees of the London bookseller and other friends who traveled to England and visited the store. Being a writer, I was amazed to realize that back in the 1950s when this story takes place, a hard-cover book cost about what a Kindle book costs nowadays. The ending is sad but satisfying. If you like to read and/or write, and you enjoy epistolary books that tell a story through letters alone, I highly recommend 84 Charing Cross Road.

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And now, I’m pleased to announce that until the end of the month, all my books can be downloaded from Smashwords ABSOLUTELY FREE as part of its summer/winter sale. You can click here to visit my author page and download these books. Happy reading!

 

New! Why Grandma Doesn’t Know Me

Copyright 2021 by Abbie Johnson Taylor.

Independently published with the help of DLD Books.

The cover of the book features an older woman sitting in a wicker chair facing a window. The world beyond the window is bright, and several plants are visible on the terrace. Behind the woman’s chair is another plant, with a tall stalk and wide rounded leaves. The woman has short, white hair, glasses, a red sweater, and tan pants. The border of the picture is a taupe color and reads "Why Grandma Doesn't Know Me" above the photo and "Abbie Johnson Taylor" below it.

Sixteen-year-old Natalie’s grandmother, suffering from dementia and confined to a wheelchair, lives in a nursing home and rarely recognizes Natalie. But one Halloween night, she tells her a shocking secret that only she and Natalie’s mother know. Natalie is the product of a one-night stand between her mother, who is a college English teacher, and another professor.

After some research, Natalie learns that people with dementia often have vivid memories of past events. Still not wanting to believe what her grandmother has told her, she finds her biological father online. The resemblance between them is undeniable. Not knowing what else to do, she shows his photo and website to her parents.

Natalie realizes she has some growing up to do. Scared and confused, she reaches out to her biological father, and they start corresponding.

Her younger sister, Sarah, senses their parents’ marital difficulties. At Thanksgiving, when she has an opportunity to see Santa Claus, she asks him to bring them together again. Can the jolly old elf grant her request?

***

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What to Read or Watch #MondayMusings #OpenBookBlogHop #Inspiration

Welcome to another edition of Open Book Blog Hop. This week’s question is: “What is your favorite genre to read/watch (movies/tv)? Any book recommendations?”

Lately, I’ve been drawn to memoirs, some historical fiction, and poetry. I recently read West with Giraffes, a fictionalized account of a true story of two giraffes, who, after surviving the hurricane that hit New York City in 1938, are transported across the country to the San Diego Zoo. You can read my review of this book here.

I don’t watch television anymore. In my opinion, there isn’t a lot on that’s worth watching. So, I can’t justify paying for cable. But once in a while, I’ll watch a movie, either a comedy or drama that doesn’t contain much violence, sex, or strong language. I recently enjoyed All Creatures Great and Small, a movie I’d never seen, although I’ve read many of James Herriot’s books.

How about you? What’s your favorite book or movie genre? You can click here to participate in this week’s hop and read other bloggers’ responses.

A photo of Abbie smiling in front of a white background. She has short brown hair which is cut short and frames her face. She is wearing a bright red shirt and a dark, flowy scarf swirled with hues of purple, pinks and blues.

New! Why Grandma Doesn’t Know Me

Copyright 2021 by Abbie Johnson Taylor.

Independently published with the help of DLD Books.

The cover of the book features an older woman sitting in a wicker chair facing a window. The world beyond the window is bright, and several plants are visible on the terrace. Behind the woman’s chair is another plant, with a tall stalk and wide rounded leaves. The woman has short, white hair, glasses, a red sweater, and tan pants. The border of the picture is a taupe color and reads "Why Grandma Doesn't Know Me" above the photo and "Abbie Johnson Taylor" below it.

Sixteen-year-old Natalie’s grandmother, suffering from dementia and confined to a wheelchair, lives in a nursing home and rarely recognizes Natalie. But one Halloween night, she tells her a shocking secret that only she and Natalie’s mother know. Natalie is the product of a one-night stand between her mother, who is a college English teacher, and another professor.

After some research, Natalie learns that people with dementia often have vivid memories of past events. Still not wanting to believe what her grandmother has told her, she finds her biological father online. The resemblance between them is undeniable. Not knowing what else to do, she shows his photo and website to her parents.

Natalie realizes she has some growing up to do. Scared and confused, she reaches out to her biological father, and they start corresponding.

Her younger sister, Sarah, senses their parents’ marital difficulties. At Thanksgiving, when she has an opportunity to see Santa Claus, she asks him to bring them together again. Can the jolly old elf grant her request?

***

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Dog-Ears, Notes, and Bookmarks, Oh My! #OpenBookBlogHop #writingPrompts #Inspiration

Image contains: Abbie, smiling.

Welcome to another edition of Open Book Blog Hop. This week’s question is: “Do you dog-ear books or use a bookmark? Do you ever make notes in your books?”

As a kid, despite limited vision, I could read books with a desktop magnifier. Most of the time, I used a piece of scratch paper to mark my place, but I never dog-eared pages or wrote notes in the margins.

As an adult, my eyes get tired after using my magnifier for long periods of time. So, I read my books in Braille or audio using digital means.

Most of the reading I do is for pleasure. So, although most of the technology I use has the option to insert bookmarks and notes, I don’t usually need to do this. In most cases, when I leave a book and come back to it, it opens where I left off. For review purposes, I might make notes in a separate document but never in the book itself. And of course, as far as I know, there’s no way to dog-ear pages in a digital book.

How about you? Do you bookmark or dog-ear pages of books you’re reading? What about making notes? To participate in this week’s hop and read other bloggers’ responses, click here.

 

New! Why Grandma Doesn’t Know Me

Copyright 2021 by Abbie Johnson Taylor.

Independently published with the help of DLD Books.

Front cover image contains: elderly woman in red sweater sitting next to a window.

Sixteen-year-old Natalie’s grandmother, suffering from dementia and confined to a wheelchair, lives in a nursing home and rarely recognizes Natalie. But one Halloween night, she tells her a shocking secret that only she and Natalie’s mother know. Natalie is the product of a one-night stand between her mother, who is a college English teacher, and another professor.

After some research, Natalie learns that people with dementia often have vivid memories of past events. Still not wanting to believe what her grandmother has told her, she finds her biological father online. The resemblance between them is undeniable. Not knowing what else to do, she shows his photo and website to her parents.

Natalie realizes she has some growing up to do. Scared and confused, she reaches out to her biological father, and they start corresponding.

Her younger sister, Sarah, senses their parents’ marital difficulties. At Thanksgiving, when she has an opportunity to see Santa Claus, she asks him to bring them together again. Can the jolly old elf grant her request?

***

Books

My Amazon Author Page

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Reading About Hardships #OpenBookBlogHop #Inspiration #WritingPrompts

Image contains: Abbie, smiling.

Welcome to another edition of Open Book Blog hop. This week’s question is: “What was your favorite young reader novel growing up?”

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As a child, I loved the Little House series by Laura Ingalls Wilder. My mother read most of the books to me because of my limited vision.

Through Mother’s excellent narration, I lost myself in the big woods, the prairie, or wherever the family lived. I endured dust storms and blizzards and  was cold, hungry, sick, and happy right along with them. It didn’t occur to me at the time, but I think this is good reading material for kids because it helps them understand what life was like centuries ago and be thankful for what they have now.

How about you? What books did you enjoy reading when you were growing up? You can click here to participate in this week’s hop and read what other bloggers have to say.

The family in my new novel, Why Grandma Doesn’t Know Me, also suffers a hardship. It’s not as bad as what the Ingalls family endured, but it’s enough to tear the family apart, although everyone tries to put on a brave face. If you want to know more, see below for details and read the book.

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 New! Why Grandma Doesn’t Know Me

Copyright 2021 by Abbie Johnson Taylor.

Independently published with the help of DLD Books.

Front cover image contains: elderly woman in red sweater sitting next to a window.

Sixteen-year-old Natalie’s grandmother, suffering from dementia and confined to a wheelchair, lives in a nursing home and rarely recognizes Natalie. But one Halloween night, she tells her a shocking secret that only she and Natalie’s mother know. Natalie is the product of a one-night stand between her mother, who is a college English teacher, and another professor.

After some research, Natalie learns that people with dementia often have vivid memories of past events. Still not wanting to believe what her grandmother has told her, she finds her biological father online. The resemblance between them is undeniable. Not knowing what else to do, she shows his photo and website to her parents.

Natalie realizes she has some growing up to do. Scared and confused, she reaches out to her biological father, and they start corresponding.

Her younger sister, Sarah, senses their parents’ marital difficulties. At Thanksgiving, when she has an opportunity to see Santa Claus, she asks him to bring them together again. Can the jolly old elf grant her request?

***

Books

My Amazon Author Page

Facebook

Website

 

 

Another Fantastic Review of My New Book #SaturdaySurprise #Book Reviews #Inspiration

Image contains: Abbie, smiling.

And now, here’s Trish Hubschman, author of the Tracy Gayle mystery series, with another fabulous review of my new book, Why Grandma Doesn’t Know Me. If you’re a fan of detective stories, you can learn more about her books here. Now, take it away, Trish!

***

I just finished reading Abbie Johnson Taylor’s new book, Why Grandma Doesn’t Know Me. I really enjoyed it. It’s excellent. I highly recommend it. I can’t   even remember when I last sat down to a book that held my attention like this one did. It’s a family story. It has conflict, suspense. I felt happiness, sadness, excitement. It triggered all my emotions. The book is in first person. Each scene is narrated by a different character and the dialogue flows beautifully and is right on target. It brought back memories from when I was a kid and made me smile.

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Reviews are important to authors because they can help boost sales. If you’ve read any of my books, please leave a review where you purchased the book. Alternatively, you can email me your review through my contact form, and I’ll be glad to post it here and on my website. Thank you.

 

New! Why Grandma Doesn’t Know Me

Copyright 2021 by Abbie Johnson Taylor.

Independently published with the help of DLD Books.

Front cover image contains: elderly woman in red sweater sitting next to a window.

Sixteen-year-old Natalie’s grandmother, suffering from dementia and confined to a wheelchair, lives in a nursing home and rarely recognizes Natalie. But one Halloween night, she tells her a shocking secret that only she and Natalie’s mother know. Natalie is the product of a one-night stand between her mother, who is a college English teacher, and another professor.

After some research, Natalie learns that people with dementia often have vivid memories of past events. Still not wanting to believe what her grandmother has told her, she finds her biological father online. The resemblance between them is undeniable. Not knowing what else to do, she shows his photo and website to her parents.

Natalie realizes she has some growing up to do. Scared and confused, she reaches out to her biological father, and they start corresponding.

Her younger sister, Sarah, senses their parents’ marital difficulties. At Thanksgiving, when she has an opportunity to see Santa Claus, she asks him to bring them together again. Can the jolly old elf grant her request?

***

Books

My Amazon Author Page

Facebook

Website