Nora Ephron's "I Remember Nothing" and 2 more books

I didn't know that Nora Ephron had written the screenplays for "When Harry Met Sally" & "Sleepless In Seattle" when I spotted her book on the shelves of a bookstore. The title words "I Remember Nothing", with "Nothing" put on a sticky pad proved quite interesting. I was glad to have found a copy in our library. It was not what I thought it was, but the book was engaging except for a few pages here and there that didn't make much sense. Ephron is essentially claiming not knowing much of anything lately, even what she is writing in the book! Well then we can't blame her for anything in it either. Curiously, I was OK with this premise! Now I know why my son loves the Pseudonymous Bosch book series so much.Who doesn't want to know a secret? Ephron's book starts off in a similar vein except instead of knowing a secret she claims no  knowledge at all:-) I fell for it. It has many chapters, each not necessarily related to the other.In the book Nora talks about life in general and things that happened before and happening now in an endearingly elderly yet sharp narrative.A short, fast read for when you want a quick non-fiction fix. Liked Nora's digs on e-mails and other social media interactions. Also loved how she incorporated some cooking elements into the book. I'll be trying the bread and butter pudding recipe of her deceased  friend Ruthie with whom Nora used to compete for the potluck dessert assignment during their annual Christmas get-togethers.

A Spot of Bother By Mark Haddon
Mark Haddon became well known with 'The Curious Incident of The Dog in The Night Time' and this book is written in similar wry tones that characterizes his prose. Instead of the woes of a misunderstood autistic teenager, he has opted to give voice to a retired man in this book. George thinks he has a grave illness but not sure what to do about it.  So he goes into silent panic which makes his actions quite confusing to those around him. I can't say I liked this as much as "curious Incident..." but it still has some teeth in it for a decent read.

A Spell of Winter by Helen Dunmore
Helen Dunmore's book was picked for the first ever Orange Prize in 1996 and it is no surprise. Cathy is the narrator who lost her mother and eventually her father when she was still young. All she has left was her brother and her reticent Grandfather who happened to have come from nowhere to the place where Cathy was born. This rootlessness could partly be attributed to the eventual making of Cathy. She is so sweet and accepting that the various events in her life fall into place without so much as a raised eyebrow from her part. Instead you will nod your head while fervently hoping that no one you know should be that accepting or gullible. Helen Dunmore's mastery in story telling is evident in every single page. Skillfully set scenes through Cathy's narration takes the reader into her life without much ado and therein lies the strength of this book and its merit. That it ends on a happy note redeemed me greatly from prolonged misery. Sweet understanding Cathy deserves all the happiness she can get.Read here for some Amazon reviews.