Books Leave Lasting Memories
Written by SurfWriter Girls Sunny Magdaug and Patti Kishel
When the holiday lights are shining, the eggnog glasses are clinking and we're feeling good cheer, part of the joy of the season is staking out a comfy chair or garden bench and reading a book that takes you on an adventure.
SurfWriter Girls have fond memories of books that captured our fancy and gave us a break from the yuletide hustle and bustle. As children, The Wizard of Oz and Nancy Drew. And a book Patti and her sister Eileen loved about a surf-crazy teen – Gidget. As adults, mysteries, thrillers, and more.
Looking back, in the 1960s the bestselling books to read on a cold winter's night were Harper Lee's soon to be American classic, To Kill a Mockingbird, Michael Chrichton's debut thriller The Andromeda Strain, and Ken Kesey's riveting One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest.
In the 1970s and 80s Frederick Forsyth's The Day of the Jackal, about an assassin plotting to kill Charles de Gaulle, Tom Clancy's The Hunt for Red October Russian submarine tale, and Robert Ludlum's The Bourne Identity spy novel had millions of readers glued to their chairs while waiting for Santa.
The 1990s and a new millennium immersed readers in a world of wizards, witches and secret societies with the introduction of J.K. Rowling's Harry Potter series and Dan Brown's The DaVinci Code. Plus, Michael Connelly's The Concrete Blonde, featuring LAPD detective Harry Bosch, made a splash.
By the 2010s and 20s Suzanne Collins' futuristic The Hunger Games took center stage alongside Richard Osman's The Thursday Murder Club series about senior citizens in a British retirement village solving crimes.
For this Christmas, SurfWriter Girls recommend Maria Brophy’s powerful memoir, Covid: A Love Story, about how she and her husband, renowned surf artist Drew Brophy, battled to save his life when he was struck by the illness.
It’s a story about love, faith and miracles. And how, in saving Drew, Maria became “a warrior, an advocate, and a witness for all who suffered loss during the pandemic.”
Books and memories wrapped up in gift ribbons. Who knows what new books will make lasting impressions? Let the reading adventures begin and make it a holiday season you can book on!
We wish you a Beary Merry Christmas!
Sunny Magdaug and Patti Kishel hold the exclusive rights to this copyrighted material. Publications wishing to reprint it may contact them at surfwriter.girls@gmail.com Individuals and non-profit groups are welcome to post it on social media sites as long as credit is given.
