Emma Watson, Fairies and Books: A Reading List for an Early Spring

Emma Watson, Fairies and Books

A Reading List for an Early Spring

Having always been suspicious of anything too popular, I came to the Harry Potter books rather late.  The fourth one was being published before I was convinced to open the first.  A mere few chapters in and I was happy to admit, in this case, my suspicions were unfounded; these were wonderful stories, more than worthy of their magical reputation.  I tore threw the first four with glee and joined the ranks of children and adults alike who waited impatiently for each new book to be published.  Even today I’m a little envious of anyone, young or old, who’s not yet read the Potter books.  What a treat awaits them.

  

Had I been younger, I would have found a serious heroine in Hermione Granger, the smart, bookish Gryffindor girl who possesses bravery and brains in equal measure.  And when I saw the films, I have no doubt Emma Watson, the young actress who played Hermione, would have been utterly fascinating to me.  Watching Ms. Watson grow up through those films was a treat, even more so when one sees the young woman she’s become today.  Fame is so often a dastardly gift, one that once given, cannot be returned.  To bestow it on a child is dangerous indeed and we’ve witnessed so many go off the rails into thickets of trouble from which no exit can ever be found.  But Emma Watson appears to have been much like the character she played:  level-headed, whip smart and bookish.  A new generation of little girls is about to discover her as Belle in the new Beauty and the Beast.  How lucky they are.

Delightfully,  Emma Watson has of late been acting in the role of Book Fairy,  dropping of copies of her favourite books - in subways, on park benches - for people to find and take with them.  She includes a personal note in each book she leaves lying around and she encourages the reader to leave it in a public place when they’re finished for others to find.   She was lately in Paris, placing copies of Maya Angelou’s, Mom and Me and Mom,  alongside the statue of Gertrude Stein. 

 I have to admit, I just love that.

So, in the spirit of Emma and Hermione, here's a baker's dozen  books that I’ve recently read, along with a few that are working their way up to the top of my stack to be read, just in time for this oh, so early Spring.  As usual, just click on the book to see more.

Hopefully you’ll find something here 

that peaks your interest.

All the best, 

p

*****

The Chateau

by William Maxwell

Anything is Possible

by Elizabeth Strout

Foreign Affairs

by Alison Lurie

Just Mercy

by Bryan Stevenson

Lillian Boxfish Takes a Walk

by Kathleen Rooney

Lincoln in the Bardo

by George Saunders

How They Decorated

by P. Gaye Tapp

A Gentleman in Moscow

by Amor Towles

The Photo Ark

by Joel Sartore

The Dark Flood Rises

by Margaret Drabble

The Givenness of Things

by Marilynne Robinson

America's Original Sin

by Jim Wallis

The Night Gardener 

by The Fan Brothers