Umbrella Day

 

Celebrating a long and ancient history, February 10th is National Umbrella Day. They work to keep us dry in the rain but also, help to block the sun on hot days.  I love the idea of owning cute umbrellas with different patterns but in reality, I have two umbrellas that live in my car that have never actually been exposed to the rain or sun.  I have them safely tucked into the little storage area on my passenger side door.  I refuse to let them anywhere near my children as they seem to be the ones behind the horrible maulings my previous umbrellas suffered.  I still haven't quite got over the death of my long-handled bright pink brolly that was somehow destroyed before it even left the umbrella stand. Now that I think of it, I'm fairly certain that even the umbrella stand/bucket suffered an unfortunate end...

Brolliology: A History of the Umbrella in Life and Literature by Rankine, Marion

"A fun illustrated history of the umbrella's surprising place in life and literature. Humans have been making, using, perfecting, and decorating umbrellas for millennia--holding them over the heads of rulers, signaling class distinctions, and exploring their full imaginative potential in folk tales and novels. In the spirit of the best literary gift books, Brolliology is a beautifully designed and illustrated tour through literature and history. It surprises us with the crucial role that the oft-overlooked umbrella has played over centuries--and not just in keeping us dry. Marion Rankine elevates umbrellas to their rightful place as an object worthy of philosophical inquiry. As Rankine points out, many others have tried. Derrida sought to find the meaning (or lack thereof) behind an umbrella mentioned in Nietzsche's notes, Robert Louis Stevenson wrote essays on the handy object, and Dickens used umbrellas as a narrative device for just about everything. She tackles the gender, class, and social connotations of carrying an umbrella and helps us realize our deep connection to this most forgettable everyday object--which we only think of when we don't have one"-- Provided by publisher.

Someone Perfect: a Westcott novel by Balogh, Mary

"The latest novel in the enchanting Westcott series from New York Times bestselling author Mary Balogh. As a young man, Justin Wiley was banished by his father for mysterious reasons, but now his father is dead, and Justin has been Earl of Brandon for six years. A dark, dour man, he nonetheless takes it as his responsibility to care for his half-sister Maria when her mother dies. He travels to her home to fetch her back to the family seat at Everleigh Park. Although she adored him once, Maria now loathes Justin, and her friend Lady Estelle Lamar can see immediately how his very name distresses her. When Justin arrives and invites Estelle and her brother to accompany Maria to Everleigh Park to help with her distress, she begrudgingly agrees for Maria's sake. As family secrets unravel in Maria's homecoming, Justin, too, uncovers his desire for a countess. And, while he may believe he's found an obvious candidate in the beautiful 25-year-old Lady Estelle, she is most certain that they could never make a match.."--. Provided by publisher.

The Umbrella Lady by Andrews, V. C.

"Left on the train platform of some strange village, eight-year-old Saffron Faith Anders is certain her father will return shortly, just like he promised. She holds out hope as the hour grows late and the station sets to close. She clings to her suitcase like a life raft. When a peculiar old woman carrying a large umbrella approaches and inquires about her situation, Saffron doesn't immediately trust the imposing do-gooder but eventually does agree to rest at her house while they wait for her father together. Saffron's stay was supposed to be for a few minutes, hours at most. But confined to a house, not unlike one Hansel and Gretel might have encountered, Saffron will undergo months-and then years-of transformation at the hands of the Umbrella Lady. One minute grandmotherly and the next a scolding schoolmarm, the woman cuts Saffron's hair to the nub, burns the clothes in her suitcase, and pretends that the photo of a young girl hanging on her bedroom wall is just a stock image that came with the frame. When mysterious letters arrive from Saffron's father, saying he has started a new family and will send for her shortly, hope returns to her heart. Still, as is the fate of all young protagonists in the world of V.C. Andrews, Saffron will learn that those who most claim to care for you will often hurt you the worst..."-- Provided by publisher.

The Buddha in the Attic by Otsuka, Julie

Presents the stories of six Japanese mail-order brides whose new lives in early twentieth-century San Francisco are marked by backbreaking migrant work, cultural struggles, children who reject their heritage, and the prospect of wartime internment.

Soulless by Carriger, Gail

Alexia Tarabotti is laboring under a great many social tribulations. First, she has no soul. Second, she's a spinster whose father is both Italian and dead. Third, she was rudely attacked by a vampire, breaking all standards of social etiquette. Where to go from there? From bad to worse apparently, for Alexia accidentally kills the vampire -- and then the appalling Lord Maccon (loud, messy, gorgeous, and werewolf) is sent by Queen Victoria to investigate. With unexpected vampires appearing and expected vampires disappearing, everyone seems to believe Alexia is responsible. Can she figure out what is actually happening to London's high society? Will her soulless ability to negate supernatural powers prove useful or just plain embarrassing? Finally, who is the real enemy, and do they have treacle tart?

Maisie Dobbs: a novel by Winspear, Jacqueline

Maisie Dobbs entered domestic service in 1910 at thirteen, working for Lady Rowan Compton. When her remarkable intelligence is discovered by her employer, Maisie becomes the pupil of Maurice Blanche, a learned friend of the Comptons. In 1929, following an apprenticeship with Blanche, Maisie hangs out her shingle: "M. Dobbs, trade and personal investigations." She soon becomes enmeshed in a mystery surrounding The Retreat, a reclusive community of wounded WWI veterans. At first, Maisie only suspects foul play, but she must act quickly when Lady Rowan's son decides to sign away his fortune and take refuge there. Maisie hurriedly investigates, uncovering a disturbing mystery, which, in an astonishing denouement, gives Maisie the courage to confront a ghost that has haunted her for years.

The Nanny Diaries: a novel by McLaughlin, Emma

A graduate from New York University takes a position caring for the only son of a wealthy Manhattan family. She rapidly learns the work and time involved to ensure that the Park Avenue wife doesn't work, cook, clean or raise her own child. A satirical and comical look at the upper class of Manhattan.

My Most Excellent Year: a novel of love, Mary Poppins, & Fenway Park by Kluger, Steve

Three teenagers in Boston narrate their experiences of a year of new friendships, first loves, and coming into their own.

Umbrella Summer by Graff, Lisa

Annie Richards knows there are a million things to look out for--bicycle accidents, chickenpox, runaway zoo animals. That's why being careful is so important, even if it does mean giving up some of her favorite things, like bike races with her best friend and hot dogs on the Fourth of July. Everyone keeps telling Annie not to worry so much, that she's just fine. But they thought her brother, Jared, was just fine too, and Jared died.

It takes a new neighbor to make Annie realize that her plans for being careful aren't working out as well as she'd hoped. And with a lot of help from those around her, Annie just may find a way to close her umbrella of sadness and step back into the sunshine.

Mary Poppins by Novesky, Amy

Singin' in the Rain [videorecording]