the third five

11. A Tree Grows in Brooklyn by Betty Smith

You all should know by now that this is my all-time favorite book, and has been for a very long time. If it wasn't, would I be traipsing around Williamsburg trying to find Francie there? Probably not. I do regret to inform you, though, that this particular reading did not take place on my fire escape as I'd hoped it would. Something about keeping my copy-cat children from following me out there kept me from doing it. Maybe someday.

12. Love Walked In by Marisa de los Santos
13. Belong to Me by Marisa de los Santos

Though the characters and their stories overlap in these two books, they do not necessarily need to be read in order. It would, however, make a little more sense if you did. Don't be deceived by the stupid titles -- de los Santos is a gifted writer and storyteller. Her prose is lyrical, and the descriptions and emotions she describes are real and far from cliche. Sometimes her sentences get a little long winded, so these were sometimes hard to read late at night when I was tired, but that is my only complaint.

14. Zion in the Brooklyn District: One Heart, Many Voices -- A History of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in Brooklyn and Staten Island, 1837-1997

One Sunday when he was locking up the chapel after church, Blake found boxes filled with copies of this book in an unused room. He took one home, and we both whipped through it. As the title suggests, it's a history of the Church in this area, compiled by members of the Brooklyn District History Committee. It's a fascinating read, and my only wish is that there was something compiled to fill me in on the changes that have occurred since 1997. For one, Brooklyn is a Stake now, not a District, branches have grown into wards, and new chapels have been built and dedicated. I loved reading the stories and testimonies of members past and present, and I count myself lucky to now be numbered among them.

15. 84, Charing Cross Road by Helene Hanff

This is a short book of correspondence between Hanff, a New Yorker in search of inexpensive copies of hard-to-find secondhand books, and the staff of Marks and Co., Booksellers, of 84, Charing Cross Road, London, particularly a Mr. Frank Doel. As she buys books from them in the years following the end of WWII, a lovely overseas friendship forms. I thought it was especially touching that when Hanff learns of the strict rationing imposed in England after the war, she repeatedly sent the entire staff gifts of food. It is a charming and true story, and it comes highly recommended by me.