Quick Lit January 2019 Archives

The Orphan of Salt Winds

by Elizabeth Brooks

In this moody debut, a 10-year-old girl comes to live with a childless couple at Salt Winds, their home on the edge of a beautiful but dangerous marsh. Virginia takes to her adoptive father at once, but it's clear the marsh isn't the only thing to fear in her new home situation, and soon her worst fears are realized, both natural and man-made. Brooks does an incredible job building and sustaining the creepy gothic atmosphere, even if I was less satisfied with the resolution than the setting. I look forward to reading what she writes next.

Atomic Habits: An Easy & Proven Way to Build Good Habits & Break Bad Ones

by James Clear

This was my first completed read of 2019, and a great way to kick off the year. And it's just as good for any fresh start. Drawing on personal experience (and with a big nod to Charles Duhigg), Clear writes about the basics of habit formation and follow-through. My favorite insight, and the one that's made a practical difference in my work life, is his insistence that 1% gains in performance—which many of us tend to disregard as "not worth the time to pursue"—make an incredible difference in our lives when implemented and compounded.

Cheerful Weather for the Wedding

by Julia Strachey

From the publisher: "It is a brisk English March day, and Dolly is getting ready to marry the wrong man. Waylaid by the sulking admirer who lost his chance, an astonishingly oblivious mother bustling around and making a fuss, and her own sinking dread, the bride-to-be struggles to reach the altar."

44 Scotland Street

by Alexander McCall Smith

This series is about the neighbors who live at the eponymous address in Edinburgh's New Town, and was originally written as a weekday column in The Scotsman over a six-month period. The newspaper asked for stories short enough for commuters to read on the train, which is why the novel consists of one hundred short chapters. This was delightful travel reading.

Cork Dork: A Wine-Fueled Adventure Among the Obsessive Sommeliers, Big Bottle Hunters, and Rogue Scientists Who Taught Me to Live for Taste

by Bianca Bosker

My husband read this in the fall, and when I was recently debating what to read next he put this in my hands and said, "read this so we can talk about it." The author quit her job as a journalist and dove headlong into the wine industry, giving herself a year to become a master sommelier. I appreciated the nice mix of science, story, and humor here, and understand the comparisons to Mary Roach and Anthony Bourdain. Fun and funny, plus it's inspiring us to step out of our comfort zone at the local wine shop.

Quick Lit January 2019

The Orphan of Salt Winds

Atomic Habits: An Easy & Proven Way to Build Good Habits & Break Bad Ones

Cheerful Weather for the Wedding

44 Scotland Street

Cork Dork: A Wine-Fueled Adventure Among the Obsessive Sommeliers, Big Bottle Hunters, and Rogue Scientists Who Taught Me to Live for Taste

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