Chapter One Hundred Eighty-Eight: Auggie Wren's Christmas Story

Let's call this post my contribution to the festivities...  I decided today was probably the right day to dip into an early Christmas present from my grandmother, so after breakfast I sat down and gobbled up Auggie Wren's Christmas Story by Paul Auster.  My edition of this very short story--it was originally published on the op-ed page of the New York Times in 1990--is also accompanied by delightful illustrations by Isol, which add some warmth to this self-described unsentimental Christmas story.  And, actually, as these things go, it is pretty unsentimental, though it's a nice little story.  I can't say much more without telling the whole story myself, other than to note that I was almost tempted to believe it by the end and that it was a refreshingly different Christmas story than the ones I'm used to.

Chapter One Hundred Eighty-Seven: Britt-Marie Was Here

I enjoyed A Man Called Ove so much when I read it this summer that I knew I'd want to read some of Fredrik Backman's other novels, but I didn't want to gobble them all up at once.  Still, when I needed something that I knew would brighten up these dreary December days, I decided it was time to read another of his books, and I chose Britt-Marie Was Here.  I thoroughly enjoyed it, although--or perhaps because--it's fairly similar to A Man Called Ove, though with an undertone of female empowerment as our hero, a woman in late middle age, decides to leave her cheating husband and get a job.  But the only job she can get takes her to Borg, a small town that has been crushed by the global financial crisis.  Despite her misgivings and peculiarities, Britt-Marie, as one might expect, finds herself connecting with the people in the town and learning about herself as a person on her own, not just as someone's daughter, sister, and wife.  It's an empowering story about a woman finally deciding to recognize and go after what she wants in life, and I really enjoyed reading it.  If you liked A Man Called Ove or are looking for a character-driven story, give Britt-Marie Was Here a try.

Chapter One Hundred Eighty-Six: The Princess Diarist

So I wanted something potentially fun to listen to in the car, and I'd say the audiobook of Carrie Fisher's newest memoir, The Princess Diarist, fit the bill just right. Fisher reads it herself, mostly, except for the actual excerpts from the diary she kept while filming Star Wars: A New Hope, which is read by her daughter, Billie Lourd. While a good part of the (relatively short) book is devoted to her affair during the filming with Harrison Ford, Fisher never goes into too much detail--as she says, this isn't soft porn for hardened science-fiction fans. (And if that line doesn't convince you that this is a book worth listening to or reading, I don't think anything else I can say about it will!) Of course, Fisher also muses on her unique relationship with Princess Leia, ranging from weightier feelings like being overshadowed by her to funnier consequences, like having countless men tell her she was their first crush--and of course, no discussion of Princess Leia could be complete without a mention of the infamous golden bikini. And a good portion of the book considers the realities of celebrity, especially of doing book signings, with several pretty funny tales of interactions with the fans.  The Princess Diarist is an interesting glimpse into Fisher's life during Star Wars--she was only 19 at the time, so prepare for some angst--and offers both serious reflection and a hearty dose of humor. If you're a fan of Star Wars or just looking for an interesting memoir, I'd definitely recommend The Princess Diarist.