January 6, 2023 THESE ARE A FEW OF MY FAVORITE THINGS

I recommend many books but sometimes find it difficult to recommend my FAVORITE BOOKS because they're just a little off the beaten path.  And truth be told--some people don't appreciate that.  So to be clear-- when I'm recommending a book I LOVE--this is what you are apt to get. A book filled with quirky characters-- And a writer whose prose is so brilliant that the characters seem real. An author who has the ability to take the  mundane, tragic or even depressing elements of life and mix in just enough humor--to make me smile or even laugh out loud at times. Finally, there's nothing better than a book that has many sub plots and vignettes  that seem unrelated BUT somehow come together at the end of the story. These types of  books don't come around very often but I found one last year that I didn't get around to reviewing called Behind The Scenes At The Museum by Kate Atkinson. Originally written in 1995, the 25th anniversary edition came out last year and that's when I spied it. This family saga tells the story of six generations of women from York, England. It begins with Ruby Lennox as the narrator--at the time of her conception in 1951. Ruby is an excellent observer of her misfit family that includes her parents, Bunty and George, and sisters who all live above their pet shop. Interspersed with Ruby's narrative are chapters told from the point of view of various family members including her great grandmother, grandmother, mother and sisters. They each share vignettes of their own sometimes pathetic lives and the events in history that shaped them.  While the story seems to jump around and the sub plots unrelated-- it all comes around in the end making this a very gratifying novel. This is a 322 page book I highly recommend. Give it a try and let me know what you think. Enjoy.