A Bookmark and Five Great Literary Knockoffs

Hola dear readers,

Well, the boy and I are back on the road after four adventurous, yet rainy days in Alabama. Gee and Joe Joe (my grandparents) were fantastic hosts, as was their gloriously squished-face pug, Winston (apologies for not providing a picture). 

Today is a bright, sunny day with good prospects. We're now traveling to Atlanta to visit the boy's family and play the role of tourists. The Beatles are playing in the background, while bright beams of sunshine mirror my image onto the iPad. I see my black, oversized sunglasses peering back at me. I see my long brown hair braided back and neatly tucked behind my right shoulder. I feel like a child discovering her reflection for the first time. 

Before I began writing, I was reading Bill Bryson's A Walk in the Woods: Discovering America on the Appalachian Trail (review to come later). When turning a page, my grandmother's bookmark fell out. I stared at it for at least a minute, my heart heavy and eyes beginning to well.

The bookmark.

My grandmother (my father's mother) died in September of this past year. Her name was Verla and she was an avid reader. No one could devour a book with more speed or excitement than her. Each turn of the page was sheer delight. She wasn't a picky reader either; she would read cheap grocery store romance novels; murder mysteries and thrillers; or works of nonfiction that inspired her. Almost always though (at least as far as I can remember), she would use the same bookmark to seal her place. 

I have that bookmark now and I treasure it. It is made of golden string and skillfully woven into a Gothic-esque cross. It is light to the touch and simple but beautiful.

This bookmark is one reason I prefer physical books to digital ones. There's no anticipation or excitement in simply running your finger across a glass screen (cool, yes, but not exciting). But don't we all love the feel of a page in our fingers? Or the soft swish as it turns? I do and I love marking my place with her bookmark. 

Bookmarks are essential to me, but so is the idea of honoring something old with something new. In keeping with this idea, I want to recommend five books I love (and I think my grandmother would too) inspired by literary classics. 

1. The Historian by Elizabeth Kostova

Drawing from Bram Stoker's Dracula, this novel is adventurous read brimming with the supernatural, romance and some (albeit) far-flung conjectures about the real Dracula (Vlad the Impaler). I loved it and The New York Times hated it. Whatever. Bite me, Henry Alford.

 2.  The Penelopiad by Margaret Atwood

Beautiful. Engrossing. Classic Margaret Atwood. Read if you're a fan of Greek myth or in the mood for something short and sweet.

3. Tequila Mockingbird: Cocktails with a Literary Twist by Tim Federle

Any literary geek or English major's dream come true. Yes, indeed dear readers—literature, puns and hard liqueur all in one book. I've also provided and example recipe, just to tantalize your inner nerd. 

An instant classic.

Too good to be true.

4. Pride and Prejudice and Zombies by Seth Grahme-Smith

OK, we all know this one. But hey, I love Jane Austen. Why not add some zombies into the mix?

5. Mockingbird: A Portrait of Harper Lee by Charles J. Shields.

A non-fiction read, Mockingbird is a book I'm currently reading and adoring. It's like drinking sweet tea on the porch during a rainstorm: refreshing and tranquil. As always, review to come shortly.