Michelle's Musings

25 November 2022

Review: Boldly Go: Reflections on a Life of Awe and Wonder

Boldly Go: Reflections on a Life of Awe and Wonder by William Shatner
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

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December book pick

When I was a high schooler, I did enjoy the required reading of The Scarlett Letter. I have probably read it 10 or 15 times over the last 35 years. This book attracted me because of the cover, and then I found out it was about the inspiration behind the telling of The Scarlett Letter.

Isobel married for what she thought was love, to a man she thought she would love forever. He was going to provide everything she needed and he dabbled in medicine. Isobel was a brilliant seamstress, almost witch-like with the needle she was which was fitting as she was descended from witches.

I won't tell you how she and her husband arrived in Salem, but they did. They lived in a little cottage in a town that once murdered "witches". Here is where Isobel meets Nathaniel Hawthorne and the sparks fly, the townspeople mention witchcraft and a book is born.

That's it, I will tell you no more.....just read this, it is a scandalous tale in so many ways, and beautifully written. The cover is equally attractive....look at this gorgeous thing!!

November Book Pick

It is no secret that I am a big fan of Gill Paul. I think I have loved every book she has written. My favorite is still the one about Wallis Simpson and Diana Spencer, The Other Woman's Husband, but I think this one might be my second favorite. I simply love to read about this time period, the Jazz Age. This book is about four women, three of which are writers, and one is an actress, that forges a deep friendship over a game of bridge.

They each have different experiences with romance and careers, but their lives still intertwine at every intersection and with every relationship. Three of the women have their lives more together than Dorothy Parker does, and they seem to always be there to help her in the latest crisis. Dorothy is pretty much all about sex, booze, and jazz, and every once in a while she puts together some brilliant writing.

I could not help thinking the whole time I was reading this, if Dorothy really lived this hard, I just can't imagine how she ever wrote a thing.

Oh, one more thing, one of the girls in this novel, in real life co-founded The New Yorker. I found that fascinating. ENJOY!!

Live Long and...What I Learned Along the Way by William Shatner
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

This is a typical Bill Shatner book. I enjoyed it because I adore Bill. If you are not a Shatner fan, you probably aren't going to like this one. Bill will tell you how he manages life and how to not sweat some of the small stuff.

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