Pages As Planes: Pacific Northwest
I know we still have a long way to go with the Pandemic, but I am starting to have a little bubble of hope that one day, we’ll be able to travel again soon. One place I can’t wait to visit is the Pacific Northwest! I’ve never been to Washington state or Oregon, but I love following my friend Morgan on YouTube. She lives in Portland and visits Powell’s Books frequently and the scenery just looks breathtaking. I’m an east coast girl at heart, but I can’t wait to visit one day!
While we wait for safer travel times, let’s jet off to the Pacific Northwest with some books! Here are a few titles set in the magic of the region.
Driftwood Bay by Irene Hannon—This is a seven book series!
“After tragedy upends her world, Jeannette Mason retreats to the tiny Oregon seaside town of Hope Harbor to create a new life. Vowing to avoid emotional attachments, she focuses on running her lavender farm and tea-room--until a new neighbor with a destructive dog and a forlorn little girl invades her turf. But she needn't worry. Dr. Logan West is too busy coping with an unexpected family, a radical lifestyle change, and an unruly pup to have any interest in his aloof and disagreeable neighbor.
Yet when both Jeanette and Logan find themselves pulled into the life of a tattered Christian family fleeing persecution in war-torn Syria, might they discover that love sometimes comes calling when it's least expected?” —From the Publisher
Where’d You Go, Bernadette by Maria Semple—I put off reading this book for so long but ended up loving it! It’s quirky and laugh out loud funny but also discusses some prevalent themes of mental health. I highly recommend it!
The Sea in Winter by Christine Day—Could there be a more beautiful cover? And it seems to match the story within!
“It’s been a hard year for Maisie Cannon, ever since she hurt her leg and could not keep up with her ballet training and auditions.
Her blended family is loving and supportive, but Maisie knows that they just can’t understand how hopeless she feels. With everything she’s dealing with, Maisie is not excited for their family midwinter road trip along the coast, near the Makah community where her mother grew up.
But soon, Maisie’s anxieties and dark moods start to hurt as much as the pain in her knee. How can she keep pretending to be strong when on the inside she feels as roiling and cold as the ocean?” —From the Publisher
Seaglass Summer by Anjaii Banerjee—This sweet middle grade sounds like a delight!
“Eleven-year-old Poppy Ray longs to be a veterinarian, but she's never had a pet. This summer, she's going to spend a month with her uncle Sanjay, veterinarian and owner of the Furry Friends Animal Clinic on an island off the Washington coast. Poppy is in for big surprises. She loves tending to the dogs, cats, and even a bird, and she discovers the fun of newborn puppies and the satisfaction of doing a good job. But she learns that there's more to caring for animals than the stethoscope and cotton swabs in her Deluxe Veterinarian First-Aid Kit. She's not prepared for quirky pet owners, gross stuff, or scary emergencies. With help from a boy named Hawk, a chunk of seaglass, and a touch of intuition, Poppy gains a deeper understanding of the pain and joy of working with animals. With warmth and humor, Anjali Banerjee tells the story of a resourceful, determined girl who can't wait to grow up, but begins to realize just how much she has left to discover.” —From the Publisher
Wild by Cheryl Strayed—I haven’t read this book but I did see the movie (Hi Reese!) and I think it would be a really enlightening read. It’s about one woman’s journey through one of the most difficult hikes in the US and how she finds herself again.
The Scent Keeper by Erica Bauermeister—I haven’t read this pick from Reese’s bookclub but I have some friends who loved it!
“Emmeline lives on a remote island with her father, who teaches her about the natural world through her senses. What he won’t explain are the mysterious scents stored in glass bottles that line the walls of their cabin, or the origin of the machine that creates them. As Emmeline grows, however, so too does her curiosity, until one day the unforeseen happens, and Emmeline is vaulted out into the real world--a place of love, betrayal, ambition, and revenge. To understand her past, Emmeline must unlock the clues to her identity, a quest that challenges the limits of her heart and imagination.” —From the Publisher
Snow Falling on Cedars by David Guterson—A true modern classic.
“San Piedro Island, north of Puget Sound, is a place so isolated that no one who lives there can afford to make enemies. But in 1954 a local fisherman is found suspiciously drowned, and a Japanese American named Kabuo Miyamoto is charged with his murder. In the course of the ensuing trial, it becomes clear that what is at stake is more than a man's guilt. For on San Pedro, memory grows as thickly as cedar trees and the fields of ripe strawberries--memories of a charmed love affair between a white boy and the Japanese girl who grew up to become Kabuo's wife; memories of land desired, paid for, and lost. Above all, San Piedro is haunted by the memory of what happened to its Japanese residents during World War II, when an entire community was sent into exile while its neighbors watched. Gripping, tragic, and densely atmospheric, Snow Falling on Cedars is a masterpiece of suspense-- one that leaves us shaken and changed.” —From the Publisher
Today will be Different by Maria Semple—Another Semple!
“Eleanor knows she's a mess. But today, she will tackle the little things. She will shower and get dressed. She will have her poetry and yoga lessons after dropping off her son, Timby. She won't swear. She will initiate sex with her husband, Joe. But before she can put her modest plan into action, life happens.
Today, it turns out, is the day Timby has decided to fake sick to weasel his way into his mother's company. It's also the day Joe has chosen to tell his office -- but not Eleanor -- that he's on vacation. Just when it seems like things can't go more awry, an encounter with a former colleague produces a graphic memoir whose dramatic tale threatens to reveal a buried family secret.
Today Will Be Different is a hilarious, heart-filled story about reinvention, sisterhood, and how sometimes it takes facing up to our former selves to truly begin living.” —From the Publisher
The Hotel at the Corner of Bitter and Sweet by Jamie Ford—A historical fiction piece that takes us through what it was like to be an Asian American during the Second World War.
“Set during one of the most conflicted and volatile times in American history, Hotel on the Corner of Bitter and Sweet is an extraordinary story of commitment and enduring hope. In Henry and Keiko, Jamie Ford has created an unforgettable duo whose story teaches us of the power of forgiveness and the human heart.” —From the Publisher
The Orchadist by Amanda Coplin—A modern classic!
“In her stunningly original and haunting debut novel, Amanda Coplin evokes a powerful sense of place, mixing tenderness and violence as she spins an engrossing tale of a solitary orchardist who provides shelter to two runaway teenage girls in the untamed American West, and the dramatic consequences of his actions.” —From the publisher
The Boys in the Boat by Daniel James Brown—My dad rowed so this has been a favorite in our house for years! It’s about the 1936 Olympic rowing team during the Berlin Games.
Blown Away: A Kite Shop Mystery by Clover Tate—Calling all cozy mystery lovers! A fun mystery set in Oregon that will have you ready to make the trip.
Meet Your Baker by Elie Alexander—Another cozy mystery! I’ve never read one but these defintely have me tempted.
Homeschooling by Carol Windley—This book sounds fascinating!
“Set against the moody landscape of Vancouver Island and the thrumming cities of the Pacific Northwest, Carol Windley’s stories uncover the hidden freight of families: in the title story, two sisters contend with their idealistic father’s sudden inability to provide for their family, and with their attraction to the same boy; in “What Saffi Knows,” a mother returns to a moment in her past when she held the knowledge that might have saved another child, but not the language with which to convey it; and in “Family in Black,” a young woman’s world is permanently changed when her mother abandons her father for a man who embodies everything her mother taught her to despise. Families dissolve and reform in new, startling configurations: ghosts appear, the past intrudes and overwhelms the present, familiar terrain takes on a hostile aspect, and happiness depends on unlikely alliances. With the invisibly perfect craftsmanship of Alice Munro, and the flesh-and-blood sense of place of Annie Proulx, Windley carves out territory all her own in these stories, each one a richly imagined world that will stay with readers for a long time.”
Lost in the Right Direction by Megan Carr—You know I love a romance and this is the first in a series! A spicy romance about finding yourself after leaving an unsafe relationship. TW: alcohol abuse, physical abuse
Any books I’m missing from this list? I’d love to learn of the ones you’ve read and loved!