The Watsons are in Birmingham in 1963 to visit their Grandma Sands when the local church is bombed and four little girls—Addie Mae Collins, Denise McNair, Carole Robertson, Cynthia Wesley—are killed. Although this is a heavy book, Curtis is the kind of writer that can make you laugh while you cry, and you’ll really find yourself in love with the good humor of the Watson family. Song accompaniment: Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close by Alexandre Desplat When in labor and ready to deliver her third child, Jackson had to call a taxi and get herself to the hospital. Her oldest son, a terror, comes home every day with stories about a boy in class that is always in trouble, and as Jackson and her husband decide something must be done about this boy, they find out that the bad boy their son tells them about is actually him. I wasn’t sure what a Shirley Jackson memoir would be like, but I absolutely hooted at this book. There are undertones of Shirley Jackson darkness here, but it’s all coated in a very funny story of a flawed family.
Song accompaniment: Training With Mr. Schaibel by Carlos Rafael Rivera Not only a novel about family, but also about a modernizing Japan and a woman’s place in a changing world. This is a not unlike a Jane Austen novel; full of subtext and social commentary, with witty thoughtful characters. It truly is a masterpiece. Song accompaniment: The Belt of Faith by Jung Jae II This is often compared to Jane Austen’s books (Austen’s coming up again, but I didn’t put any of her books on my list, so right here I’ll say: Sense and Sensibility or Pride and Prejudice would be great inclusions on a list about literary families), but I’d also say anyone who’s read Cold Comfort Farm or Nancy Mitford’s books would love I Capture the Castle. It’s just a delightful book, full of unruly people that are fun to hang out with for a little while. Song accompaniment: Dawn by Dario Marianelli Now, I’ll admit I debated between this and Eka Kurniawan’s Beauty is a Wound. Also a family saga, also magical realism, but Kurniawan’s book takes place in Indonesia during and after WWII. It has one of the best first lines, and I’m afraid if I include it here you’ll be less likely to pick Marquez. Oh well, here it is: “One afternoon on a weekend in March, Dewi Ayu rose from her grave after being dead for twenty-one years.” Anyway, really do read them both, because they’re great books. Song accompaniment: Pruitt Igoe by Philip Glass Something like that happens in this book. In fact, many things like that happens in this book. It’s about four sisters—Rosalind, Skye, Jane, and Batty—and their summer spent at Arundel, a cottage that was “not only yellow, it was the creamiest, butteriest yellow the Penderwicks had every seen.” This is the first book in one of my favorite children’s series. Song accompaniment: Orchard House by Thomas Newman The Bagthorpe family consists of Mr. Bagthorpe, who is delightfully crotchety; Mrs. Bagthorpe; their children William, Tess, Jack, and Rosie all prodigies except Jack; Grandma, who likes to start trouble; Grandpa who has SD (selective deafness); Uncle Parker; Aunt Celia, who is a poet; and Daisy, who is their troublemaking daughter. And then there’s Zero, the family dog. Nothing big ever really happens, but a bunch of small disasters add up, and it’s worth it just to see Mr. Bagthorpe’s reaction. Song Accompaniment: Windsor Gardens by Dario Marianelli Song accompaniment: The Heroic Weather-Conditions of the Universe, Part 1: A Veiled Mist by Alexandre Desplat This is the novel I’ve chosen to read through the holidays. I’ve only started it, so I can’t tell you how much, but so far I love the writing. Song accompaniment: Yumeji’s Theme by Shigeru Umebayashi The mother and son in this book are very similar to the royal family. Their mordant humor is intoxicating. Nothing really happens, but just like The Crown, you can’t stop wanting to spend more time with Frances Price and her son Malcolm. After becoming social outcasts, Malcolm and Francis decide to leave New York by boat and live in Paris. Their lives are filled with outlandish characters who ebb and flow throughout the story, appearing just to add a dose of unneeded, but wonderful chaos.
Song accompaniment: Opus 17 by Dustin O’Halloran

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