A Couple of Ann Patchett Books

 

These Precious Days by Ann Patchett

Rating: 5.0 

Essays

I've read two fiction books by Ann Patchett (The Dutch House and Tom Lake), and even though I enjoyed both, I loved her essay collection, These Precious Days, better. My favorite is "Three Fathers," in which she recounts her relationships with her biological father and two stepfathers. 

I also loved "To the Doghouse," which was about how Charles Schultz' cartoon character, Snoopy, was her biggest influence in becoming a writer. She even named her dog "Sparky" because that was Charles Shultz' nickname.

Truth & Beauty: A Friendship by Ann Patchett

Rating: 4

Memoir

This heartbreaking memoir is about the friendship between Ann Patchett and her friend Lucy Grealy, who wrote the book Autobiography of a Face. Ann and Lucy met in college and were roommates afterward at the Iowa Writers' Workshop. Childhood cancer had disfigured Lucy's face, and she underwent many reconstructive surgeries and treatments during her life. Ann recounts their 20-year friendship in which Lucy slowly self-destructs despite love and encouragement from Ann and other friends.

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84, Charing Cross Road

 

84, Charing Cross Road by Helene Hanff was the book club book I chose to give Katherine, Heidi, and Kendall for Christmas last year. We discuss one book per year! How's that for an easy book club? And I intentionally made it a short book (112 pages). This book has a 4.2/5.0 rating on Goodreads from 77,027 reviews. And it happens to be one of my favorite books.

On October 5, 1949, Helene Hanff wrote the first of many letters from New York City to a bookshop in London called Marks & Co. requesting books she desired to read. The books she was looking for were to fuel her self-made education. After reading a book called On the Art of Writing by Sir Arthur Quiller-Couch, a professor of English Literature at the University of Cambridge, Helene desired to read all the books he recommended. She may have been able to obtain the books at bookstores down the street from her, but she didn't want to leave her apartment. Or did she really just want to strike up a relationship with someone in England?

Helene was 33 years old when she wrote her first letter. And the recipient of the letter at the bookshop in London was Mr. Frank Doel who took the responsibility of getting the requested books back to Helene very seriously. 

Over the course of 20 years, through letters, Helene and Frank developed a friendship that warmed my heart. Helene received letters from other people in London as well - Frank's wife, his co-workers, and the old woman who lived next door to Frank and his wife. 

I won't spoil the book by giving any more details. If you decide to read it, know the following: It is a true story, it is comprised entirely of letters, and it does not have a plot. 

As you can see, Gavin gives his approval.

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Nowhere Girl

 

Nowhere Girl by Cheryl Diamond

Rating: 4.5

Memoir

I've discovered something about myself. I really like reading memoirs. There is something about other people's stories that attracts me. Cheryl Diamond's story is just as amazing as Tara Westover's in Educated and Jeanette Walls' in The Glass Castle. These are three very different stories, but they have one thing in common: craziness!

Cheryl Diamond is not her real name. Her real name is Harbhajan, but by the time she was nine years old, she had lived under six assumed identities in more than twelve countries on five continents. Their family was always on the run, and someone was always chasing them (Interpol and others). 

At first, Cheryl thought it was a fun game to be given a new name, a new set of background circumstances to memorize, and a new home on a regular basis (sometimes living in luxury hotels). Her father trained her to always be looking out of the corner of her eye and to be suspicious of everyone. He also drove her to perfectionism. She trained to be an elite gymnast until she grew too tall and could no longer manage the sport.

At sixteen, she was scouted by a modeling agency in New York. This afforded her the opportunity to see life outside her family of five. But it was also the start of an unraveling of all she knew.

This is an incredible story. I highly recommend it!

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Fly Girl: A Memoir

Fly Girl by Ann Hood

Rating: 4

Memoir

Right around the time I was dreaming of being a stewardess (aka flight attendant) and went on my first flight (to Los Angeles, CA) in 1977, Ann Hood was actually living the dream. She was a flight attendant for TWA (Trans World Airlines) which was a major American airline from 1930 to 2001.

In her memoir, she recounts the glory days of airline travel. Did you know that people used to actually dress to the nines to travel by plane? She gives detailed descriptions of training school, working her way up the ranks, and the many free flights she was able to take around the world on her days off.

It wasn't always glamorous. There were sexist rules and regulations, propositions by passengers, angry passengers, and dying passengers. She had to deal with it all. She also wrote about the effect that airline deregulation had on TWA in the 1980s, her lengthy furloughs, and the abrupt end to her career.

I recommend this one if you are interested in learning about the life of a flight attendant in the 1970s-1980s.

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Know My Name

 

Know My Name by Chanel Miller
Rating: 4
Memoir

In January of 2015, Chanel Miller went to a fraternity party on the Stanford campus with her younger sister. Neither one of them attended the school, but they lived nearby. Chanel wasn't even a college student at the time. She had graduated and was working. At the party, she drank a little too much, wandered off and passed out, and was the perfect target for rape by Stanford student and Olympic swimming hopeful, Brock Turner. Perhaps you are familiar with the case.

At the time, it was still difficult to get rape victims to prosecute. Chanel agreed before she realized what she was in for. This is her story of the entire process of going through with it. It was interesting to learn how the defense chose questions to make Chanel look like the wrongdoer. It was heartbreaking to see how it affected her life and that of her entire family. 

This book gives a voice to victims of sexual abuse. I didn't care for her use of foul language in some parts of the book, and I think some parts could have been cut. But overall, I'm glad I read it, and I think it will be useful in perhaps changing the injustices in rape cases.

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Write for Your Life

 

Write for Your Life by Anna Quindlen
Rating: 4
Genre: Writing Inspiration

I have been thinking lately that it would be nice to write down memories from my life. This would mostly be to process different events and see how God has directed my life in the way it has turned out. 

When I was in my 20s, I interviewed my Sito (grandma) about her life. I wrote down the story of how she was born in Lebanon and came to America on a ship to Ellis Island. She told me how she met my Gido (grandpa), and what life was like raising a family and working in the Akron rubber factories. If I had not taken the time to write her story, it would have been lost with the last generation.

Anna Quindlen uses Anne Frank's diary as an example of how one girl's record of daily life captured some of the atrocities of World War II. Who has kept a record of the past two years - the COVID 19 years? Will we forget how we felt and what life was like if we don't write it down? 

This book was just what I needed as an encouragement to write.

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Miracle and Wonder

One of the ladies in my book group recommended listening to this audiobook last month, and for some reason, I was drawn to it. Simon and Garfunkel's songs were some of my favorites when I was growing up. I loved Scarborough Fair, Bridge Over Troubled Water, The Sound of Silence, The Boxer, Homeward Bound, America, and I Am a Rock. I still sing, "Parsley, Sage, Rosemary, and Thyme" when I open my spice drawer.

Miracle and Wonder: Conversations with Paul Simon by Malcolm Gladwell and Bruce Headlam (2021) is not really a book, but it's a compilation of interviews with Paul Simon about his journey as a musician. You can only get this book in audio format. The authors thought it would be best in audio format because they play snippets of songs throughout, and Paul plays the guitar to demonstrate different tunes. 

I found this audiobook fascinating. Paul Simon is a storyteller, songwriter, and musical genius. I loved hearing the history behind some of my favorite songs and learning about songs of his that I had never heard of. I am not as familiar with the songs he did on his own. Sadly, Simon and Garfunkel broke up in 1970, probably right around the time I discovered them. The book touches on their relationship a little but doesn't get into it very much.

This is how I remember them.

This book would be for anyone who has fond memories of Simon and Garfunkel, who appreciates Paul Simon's talent, or who is interested in music at all. Highly recommend this one. It's about 5 hours long.

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Crying in H Mart

Crying in H Mart by Michelle Zauner

Rating: 5

Genre: Memoir

If you enjoy memoirs as much as I do, this is a must-read book. Michelle Zauner is best known for her talent as a singer and guitarist in the band, Japanese Breakfast (which I had never heard of before I read this book). Michelle is not Japanese, however. She was born in Seoul, South Korea to a Korean mother and an American father. She grew up in Eugene, Oregon as an only child. Her relationship with her parents was a little tumultuous at times, but Michelle always wanted to be close with her mother.

This memoir is mainly about her relationship with her mother and the intense grief she experienced after her mother's death. Michelle was only 26 years old when her mother was diagnosed with cancer. Because Michelle connected mostly with her mother through the Korean food she grew up eating, food plays an important role in her grief and healing journey.

Michelle's story is open and vulnerable. It made me laugh, and it made me cry. It is hard to lose your mother at any age, but in particular when you are relatively young. Very well written. This would be a good one to listen to on audio for pronunciation of Korean words. 

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The Ride of Her Life

 

The Ride of Her Life: The True Story of a Woman, Her Horse, and Their Last-Chance Journey Across America by Elizabeth Letts

Rating: 5

True Story

This was such a great story! Imagine being a 63-year-old single woman in 1954 and deciding to take a trip across the United States from Maine to California on horseback. You have no bank account, no GPS, no cell phone, no flashlight, and no waterproof coat. You have no idea where you will stay along the way and how you will pay for dinner. That's how crazy Annie Wilkins was. After her doctor told her she had approximately two years to live, she had the choice to live out her days in the County Home or do something she always wanted to do - see the Pacific Ocean.

Annie relied on gas station maps and helpful people along the way to get her from one town to the next. She stayed in the homes of generous people (many of them farmers) who were willing to feed her and her animals. She even stayed in police stations and county jails as a last resort. 

A big part of the story was her connection to her horse, Tarzan, and her dog, Depeche Toi, who were her companions along the way. "They never questioned whether her harebrained scheme was a good idea. They never suggested that she get her head examined, or told her to fill up her bank account, or demanded that she get a map and plan out a logical route." They just loyally loved her and she loved them.

Highly recommend!

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What I Read in March

 

Dirt by Mary Marantz

Rating: 5

Memoir

If you liked Educated by Tara Westover and Glass Castle by Jeannette Walls, you will love Dirt by Mary Marantz. This is Mary's story of growing up in a trailer in West Virginia on the back half of her grandmother's property. It's about how she went from there to graduating from Yale Law School. It's about how she has reconciled those two things. It's also a redemption story as she works through her relationship with her father who gave his life to logging but wanted more than anything for his only child to have more. I loved this book.

The Four Winds by Kristin Hannah

Rating: 4.5

Historical Fiction

I loved Kristin Hannah's book, The Nightingale. She's written a few books since then that I have not read, but this one piqued my interest because it is set in Depression-era Dust Bowl Texas which I didn't know much about. Elsa marries into a hard-working Italian immigrant family who owns a farm in Texas. When the depression hits and times get tough, her husband abandons her and their two children. She remains with her in-laws until her young son becomes very ill from the dust storms that ravage the area on a routine basis. She has no choice but to go west to California to try to make a new life for herself and her children. Unfortunately, California does not end up being the land of opportunity she expects it to be. Very good read.

The Pegan Diet by Mark Hyman

Rating: 5

Cookbooks/Food

Mark Hyman is a Cleveland Clinic Functional Medicine doctor who really has a heart for trying to get people to eat healthier. The Pegan Diet is a combination of Vegan and Paleo. He made up the word. His motto is "use food as medicine." Great advice and some simple recipes.

Surprised by Joy by C. S. Lewis

Rating: 5

Biography

C. S. Lewis writes about his childhood, early years in boarding school, the loss of his mother at a young age, and the various mentors who influenced him along the way. His commentary on all the masterful works he read and loved was usually above my head, but at other times I was laughing out loud. This book also records his journey from Atheism to Christianity. Many people think that the book is about his late-in-life wife, Joy, but she is not mentioned in the book at all. Highly recommend anything written by him.

HRH: So Many Thoughts on Royal Style by Elizabeth Holmes

Rating 5

Fashion (Royal)

This was such a fun read! I don't really follow the Royal Family much and I haven't gotten past episode 1 of The Crown, but I loved looking at Royal fashion over the years. Elizabeth Holmes was a fashion writer for the Wall Street Journal for more than a decade. The Queen has her uniform and never deviates from it, but I like her bold color choices. Diana's outfits made me cringe and brought me back to the awful style of the 1980s! Kate Middleton's style is my absolute favorite. She is so classy and really wears the fashions well. I found Meghan's clothes too simple and boring. Unfortunately, this book is already out of date because one of the four British-style icons is no longer an HRH.

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Book Reviews

 

Nobody Will Tell You This But Me by Bess Kalb

Rating: 4.5

Memoir/Biography

I really enjoyed reading this book. I laughed and I cried. It is about the relationship between a grandmother and her granddaughter, told from the perspective of the dead grandmother. It's also about mother-daughter relationships and how those can sometimes be very difficult. Because I'm a grandma now, this book touched me immensely. Bess Kalb is a writer for the Jimmy Kimmel show, and her writing is outstanding.

His Only Wife by Peace Adzo Medie

Rating: 3

Fiction

This was my Book Group's November pick. The reviews said it was funny, but it turns out it was not funny at all. A young woman (Afi) in Ghana marries a wealthy young man (Elikem) in an arranged marriage. The man is so not interested in the woman that he doesn't even show up to the wedding. He already loves someone else, but his family does not like her. So Afi is put up in an apartment while her husband lives with the other woman in his house. It was heartbreaking, really. She is well taken care of and is able to start and operate a small boutique selling clothes that she designs, but she loves Elikem and wants to be his "only wife." The only redeeming part of reading this book was getting a glimpse of the culture of Ghana. 

Leave the World Behind by Rumaan Alam

Rating: 3

Fiction

This was my Book Group's December pick. A middle-class suburban family with two teens rents an Air B & B that is sort of off the grid (outside NYC).  The second night of their vacation, an older couple rings the doorbell and tells them they are the owners of the B & B and they need a place to stay. There is a blackout in the city and no one knows what's going on. Then strange things begin to happen, and the two families have to rely on each other to figure out what to do. The book is described as a psychological thriller, but it was not scary at all.  Not my favorite.

Blackout: How Black America Can Make its Escape from the Democratic Plantation by Candace Owens

Rating: 5

Non-Fiction

Candace Owens is an African-American political commentator who speaks out on how the policies of the Democratic Party have hurt rather than helped the African-American community. This book came out just before the 2020 Presidential Election, so I think she was trying to convince black voters to consider switching to the Republican side. She includes her personal story of overcoming setbacks in her childhood and the experiences she has faced in trying to speak out. This was well researched and written. I thought it was an excellent book.

The Woman Next Door by Yewande Omotoso

Rating: 4

Fiction

This book takes place in Johannesburg, South Africa. Two recently widowed women (one white and one black) live next door to each other. They have both had successful careers in architecture and design, but they do not see eye to eye. When one of them becomes injured and needs help, they begin to open up to each other about their life's disappointments and secrets. This was a good story, and I enjoyed the South African culture and setting.

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Books I've Read Lately

Becoming Mrs. Lewis by Patti Callahan
Rating: 4
Fiction

I can't say much about this book here because I will be discussing it with people in the near future. I will say this: I read the book twice, and I hardly ever do that. The story made me very curious about the two main characters - Joy Davidman and C. S. Lewis. Right now I feel kind of obsessed with reading more about them.

A Grief Observed by C. S. Lewis
Rating: 5
Memoir

This memoir is really a journal from the days and months after Joy Davidman (Mrs. Lewis) dies. It is the raw pain and loss of love that C. S. Lewis experiences. His writing is amazing and this book is the perfect follow up to Becoming Mrs. Lewis.

The Bullet Journal Method by Ryder Carroll
Rating 4
Non-Fiction

A way to organize your life so that you don't forget anything. It also helps you be more productive. Everything is in one place!

Daisy Jones and the Six by Taylor Jenkins Reid
Rating 4
Fiction

What would it be like to be part of a rock-n-roll band in the 1970s? This book tells it all from the perspective of the lead singers, songwriters, manager, and musicians. The story is written as if it were an interview taking place years after the fact. The author tells it like it is (or was). I felt it really reflected the time in which I grew up. Loved that there was redemption involved in the struggles that took place in the lives of the characters.

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What I Read in November

It's December already! So here is what I read in the month of November. Not too much. No Fiction.

Cozy Minimalist Home by Myquillyn Smith
Rating: 4
Non-Fiction

I loved Myquillyn Smith's first book on decorating - The Nesting Place. I wrote about it here. The Cozy Minimalist Home wasn't as funny, but it did have some practical tips that I will put in my decorating file. First of all, I liked the order in which she recommends decorating a room: Rug, Curtains, Lighting, Furniture, and then Wall Art. The art has to come last because the other things may take up wall space that you otherwise thought you had. Makes sense to me. The main point of her book is More Style, Less Stuff. I like that too.

Smoke Gets in Your Eyes and Other Lessons from the Crematory by Caitlin Doughty
Rating: 4
Non-Fiction

The title of this books sounds grim, but it is worth a read. The information you will find inside is truly fascinating, and the author writes in such a way that you will find yourself strangely laughing when you should be crying. She is completely honest about her job as a crematory operator and courier of dead bodies in California. This is a true story. Caitlin has a YouTube series called "Ask a Mortician" which I have been afraid to watch. After reading this book, I decided I do not want to be embalmed.

Braving the Wilderness: The Quest for True Belonging and the Courage to Stand Alone by Brene Brown
Rating: 4
Non-Fiction

This may not be what this book was all about, but what I got out of it is:  Would everyone please start acting like adults, communicate respectfully, listen compassionately, and love each other despite your disagreements? I agree wholeheartedly!

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What I Read in October

October was a dry month for reading. I spent too much time cooking, sewing, and doing other things I'd rather not do. So it is sort of ironic that one of the two books I did read is called, "I'd Rather be Reading."

I'd Rather be Reading by Anne Bogel
Rating: 4
Memoir

Anne Bogel is the person who writes the Modern Mrs. Darcy blog and hosts the What Should I Read Next podcast. This is Anne's second book. Her other one was called Reading People which was about personality types.

This short (160 page) book is a collection of essays about books and the reading life. I particularly loved the chapter about how she and her family lived next door to the public library in their town. I can't think of anything more wonderful than that. Made me want to move!

And Then There Were None by Agatha Cristie
Rating: 5
Mystery

This is a classic mystery written in 1939. Ten people are brought together on an island off the coast of England, and then they are murdered one at a time.  After dinner, the first night on the island, a record on the gramophone plays a strange message explaining how each of these people were not brought to justice for the murder of another person.

Hanging in each of their bedrooms is a childhood nursery rhyme called Ten Little Soldier Boys, and on the dining room table is a set of soldier boy figurines. Each time someone is murdered, a soldier boy disappears from the table. And the nursery rhyme gives clues as to how the next murder will be committed.

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What I Read in September

I Am, I Am, I Am: Seventeen Brushes with Death by Maggie O'Farrell
Rating: 4
Memoir
How could someone have seventeen brushes with death and still be alive? First of all, Maggie O'Farrell has led a very adventurous life. She grew up very near the water, so some of her close calls involved almost drowning. She was diagnosed with encephalitis when she was eight years old. She put herself in danger by walking alone in a deserted area, and another time she was just in the wrong place. I won't reveal all the ways she lived to tell this story because that would ruin the book! I really enjoyed this book, not only because of the interesting stories but because Maggie O'Farrell is a fantastic writer. Highly recommend.

Whiskey in a Teacup: What Growing Up in the South Taught Me About Life, Love, and Baking Biscuits by Reese Witherspoon
Rating: 4
Memoir
This book is part memoir, part cookbook, part southern manners, and part tribute to her grandmother, Dorothea. Because of her sweet grandma, you will never catch Reese in sweatpants on an airplane. In this book, you will learn how to hot roller your hair, how to start a conversation at a dinner party, how to host a book club, and why you should monogram anything that isn't moving. I loved curling up on the couch with this book. Very sweet.

As You Wish: Inconceivable Tales from the Making of the Princess Bride by Cary Elwes
Rating: 4
Non-Fiction
Katherine and I listened to this book in the car while we were on our bookstore road trip. I would have given it a rating of 5 if it had been a literary kind of book. It was the story behind the movie, told by the actor who played Westley in the Princess Bride. I had only seen the movie once in the mid-1990's. Katherine had seen it a few times, and she really liked it. After we listened to this book, we couldn't wait to get to her house and watch the movie again. Fortunately, she had the DVD. The behind the scenes information that Cary Elwes gives on the actors, producers, and filming of this movie will melt your heart. He tells how he and Mandy Patinkin practiced sword fighting for months in order to do the famous duel themselves, how Andre the Giant was the most beloved actor on the set, how Rob Reiner was the most caring producer ever, and how he broke his toe in the middle of shooting the movie by getting it caught between the pedal of an ATV and a rock. If you loved the Princess Bride, this is a must. Please listen to it on audio because all the actors who are still living talk about the movie, and Cary does a great job of narrating the rest of the book.

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Born a Crime

I highly recommend listening to the audio of Born a Crime: Stories from a South African Childhood rather than reading the book because Trevor Noah, the author, narrates it. Hearing the stories told by him adds so much emotion to the book.

I did not know who Trevor Noah was before listening to this memoir. He is the current host of The Daily Show, which is a late night talk and news satire show. It airs during the week on Comedy Central. I don't stay up that late so I wouldn't know about it.

Trevor Noah was "born a crime" in 1984 because his father was white and his mother was black under apartheid in South Africa. Because he wasn't white and he wasn't black, he never fit in. Noah had a very close relationship with his mother. Her faith and no-nonsense lessons on life grounded his upbringing. Their relationship became complicated in his teen years when she married an abusive man and had two more sons with him. He eventually went out on his own and got involved in petty criminal activities.

If you know next to nothing (like me) about what it would have been like to grow up as a mixed-race child under apartheid, you must read this book. You will be immersed in one young man's incredible story. When you are through, you will be amazed that he is now the host of The Daily Show.  Warning: heavy on choice words.

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If You Only Knew

Jamie Ivey is one of my favorite podcasters. She is the host of The Happy Hour. I've been listening to her for a couple of years. Topics include marriage, faith, parenting, grief, joy, justice, and much more.

Jamie is married to Aaron Ivey, a worship pastor at Austin Stone Community Church in Austin, TX. She has four children - three of them adopted.

Her book, If You Only Knew, was a birthday gift from Peter and Kendall (Kendall is a Happy Hour fan too!) I read it cover to cover on my four-hour flight to Phoenix last week.

We all have secrets from our past that we keep hidden because "what would people think if they found out?" Jamie shares her own story and the reasons she had to get it out in the open. Fear of being found out caused her to hide the beauty of what God did in her life.

Jamie's story is the story of many people who are on a path chasing things they think will bring them happiness but don't. It's the story of how God chased her down and turned her life around. She still struggles like we all do, but she has found freedom in being vulnerable about who she is.

I don't usually re-read books, but this is one that I will be reading again. Loved it!

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What I Read in February

I only got through four books in February! My goal was eight...but it was a short month.

Hillbilly Elegy by J. D. Vance
Rating: 4
Memoir
A look into the hillbilly culture of Rust Belt Ohio and Kentucky's Appalachian area. The author manages to graduate from Yale Law School despite the many struggles he faced as a child. He brings to light the problems that perpetuate themselves in a community that sees no way out.

Cutting for Stone by Abraham Verghese
Rating: 4
Fiction
Twin boys are orphaned at birth and raised by two Indian doctors in Ethiopia. This is a complex story of love, betrayal, reconciliation, and growing into adulthood.

Murder on the Orient Express by Agatha Christie
Rating: 5
Fiction
A classic murder mystery. Doesn't get much better than this.

Beartown by Fredrick Backman
Rating: 3
Fiction
What happens in a town that puts hockey above all else. I didn't like this book for a few of reasons. One- the scenes jumped around way too much, Two- it was kind of boring, and Three- some of it did not seem realistic to me.

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The Glass Castle

The Glass Castle, by Jeannette Walls, is a memoir of the author's years growing up in the 1960's and 1970's with rather unconventional parents.

This book ranks among my top 10 all-time favorites. An amazing story of love, hardship, resilience and pain. I give the author a lot of credit to tell her family's story in such a raw and honest way.

I highly recommend this book to everyone. Five stars.

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The Year of Magical Thinking

I am trying to read a lot more this year than I did in 2017, and I'm off to a good start. I usually have two books going at once: one audiobook that I listen to when I'm in my car and a print book I read at home.

I'd been wanting to read something from Joan Didion (now age 83), and I decided on The Year of Magical Thinking. I love Memoirs, and this book is the story of the first year after her husband of 40 years, writer John Gregory Dunne, died suddenly of a massive heart attack on December 30, 2003. What made the grieving process even more difficult was the fact that their only daughter, Quintana, was in an intensive care unit battling pneumonia and septic shock at the time.

Joan becomes obsessed with researching the grieving process, trying to understand why she thinks John is going to magically come back. For instance, she won't give away his shoes because she irrationally believes he will still need them.

I was amazed at how many details of their life and relationship she remembered and was able to weave into the story. Joan is a fantastic writer, and I am looking forward to reading some of her other books. Slouching Toward Bethlehem, a collection of essays on American life in the 1960's, and Blue Nights, the story of losing her daughter, Quintana, are at the top of my list.

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